Street Race Fever: Second Stage
by Mayharukadalejrfan88
Summary: May has now beaten Ryousuke Takahashi, but now new challengers want to battle her.
1. Act 01: A New Threat

DATE: JULY 10, 1999

It had been 2 weeks since May defeated Ryousuke Takahashi at Haurna. Her win made her famous around Gunma for doing something most people couldn't.

May was out on Haruna that night and said "I started to make a name for myself as soon as I moved here. I won 2 races in the span of only 7 days then Ash won a race, then took some time off because football season was coming and that would get in the way for racing and school was starting to get interesting. Now I think it's time that I take a break from racing. That doesn't mean I'm retiring at all, I need a break to see my brother and Ash get as good as I am."

In Tochigi, a guy in a purple 180SX was racing when a white Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution came out of nowhere and caught up to him quickly. The guy was trying to block the Lan-Evo but it didn't seem to work at all.

The guy racing the 180SX said "DAMN IT! There's no way I will let an outsider mess with me!"

The Lan-Evo and 180SX were racing hard into a corner

The guy racing the LanEvo said this would be a piece of cake and then the purple 180SX drifted into the corner. Then the white Lan-Evo punched the accelerator and passed the 180SX with ease. The guy in 180SX was shocked to see the Lan-Evo pass him so easily.

Two guys were watching the race. One said "He passed him!" & the other guy said "OH NO! That Evo IV is fast!"

The guy in the 180SX then said "DAMN IT!"

The guy who was racing the white Lan-Evo's name is Seiji Iwaki and along with Kyle Sudou, they are the members of the Emperor team.

Seiji asked the guy who raced him take his sticker and then Kyle used a Swiss army knife to slice it in two and Seiji said "It's like the kill marks the fighter pilots used to paint when they shoot down other fighters. Quite fancy, isn't it?"

Kyle then said ""We, the Emperor team, will conquer the Gunma Prefecture in a month. Lan-Evo drivers are the kings of the mountain pass."

The next day in Haruna, Ash was driving his Supra and May was his passenger.

Ash said to May "I don't get why you are not racing for a while, May. Did something happen that forced you to stop?"

May said "I thought it was time for you to advance your skills. By the way, I heard you used to live in the Tochigi Prefecture. Is that true?"

Ash said "Why yes, May. I'm from Tochigi prefecture and I hold a record on the Irohazaka course."

May said "That's really cool Ash. I heard there's a team called Emperor who run Irohazaka like it was their land but I heard you beat the leader, Kyle Sudou."

Ash said "I did beat Kyle Sudou but not in this car. I beat him in a Chevy Corvette ZR-1 that my dad and I worked on to make it race on mountain passes. I did it around this time last year when I came home for the summer while I went to mechanics school outside of Los Angeles."

While Ash was talking, a white Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution was coming quickly on them and May said "Hey Ash, make more room because there's a very fast car closing in on us."

When the car passed Ash, He said went "THAT WAS A LAN-EVO AND IT HAD AN EMPEROR STICKER ON IT!"

May then said in her head "What's up what that car? What a strange movement!

Ash went "That has to be Seiji Iwaki." & May said "Who's Seiji Iwaki?"

Ash told May "Seiji Iwaki is a member of the Emperor team and is Kyle Sudou's friend. They have made waves in Tochigi."

May said "What powers a Lan-Evo?" Ash said "It's powered by a 2 litre turbo charged straight 4. It can make at least 280 HP. It also has a 4WD system which makes it perfect for both uphill and downhill racing"

May said "I see. That movement comes from the four-wheel drive. Four tires can handle power that two tires can't"

Ash then said in his head "Seiji must have improved since I raced Kyle about a year ago."

May and Ash stopped at Lake Haruna and Ash said "I can't believe some 4 cylinder Lan-Evo could easily pass a car powered by a 3 litre twin-turbo Straight-6. This is a nightmare!"

May said "Did you amaze everyone when you won in that ZR-1 Corvette?"

Ash said "Everyone was amazed at me winning because nobody thought a V8 powered muscle car from America had what it takes to beat a turbo charged 4 cylinder monster like a Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution. Anyway, the Lan-Evo is a force to be reckoned with."

In another area of Lake Haruna, Kyle and Seiji were talking about how great their Lan-Evos were.

Seiji said "My Evo IV is so beautiful that it gives me chills. This is an example of what the pursuit of perfect functionality leads to. It's liked the body of a well-trained boxer. The air ducts on the front, protruding blister packing, the oversized rear wing. They all have their purpose. The Lan-Evo was developed and perfected to win world-class rally tournaments."

Kyle then said "High-powered turbo and four-wheel drive. A car isn't complete without them."

Seiji then said "The Lan-Evo is the fastest street racer. Hey, Kyle. Let's finish all the FR punks in Gunma."

May and Ash pulled up to where Kyle and Seiji were talking and Ash said "That's them. That's the Emperor team, the fastest in Tochigi."

May said "Don't worry about them. I'm going to get a Coca-Cola. Do you want one as well?"

Ash said "Yes I would love a Coca-Cola. Thank you May!"

When May left to get herself and Ash Coca-Colas, Seiji walked over to Ash.

Ash said worryingly "He's coming this way!

Seiji said "Hey! I want to ask you for directions." Ash said he would give him directions

While May was getting Coke, Ash told Seiji "This route is much shorter."

Then Seiji said "I see Thanks a lot. By the way, Ash, let me ask you something. Who's the fastest driver in Haruna?

Ash said "I see you have not forgotten my name, Seiji. It's that girl at the vending machines. She's the person who drives an R34. Did you come here to race her?"

Seiji then said "What, us? Challenge an R34 driven by a girl?"

Seiji laughed and said "Your jokes are as funny as you, Morikawa. No one would praise me for defeating an R34. Worse than that, my teammates would laugh at me if I bragged about such a thing. No GT-R will ever be able to beat my Evo IV or Kyle's Evo III. I wouldn't race them even if they asked"

Ash then said "You should not talk like that when you have never seen this R34! It has never lost a race. NOT EVEN BY THE FD, R32, AND FC!"

Seiji said "They must have been driven by bad racers." but Ash said "They weren't weak. They were some of the best in Gunma she had to battle!"

Seiji said "Top class? Gunma must be low-level."

May then ran to Ash to make him stop his arguing.

Kyle then said "You too, Seiji. You don't have to talk like that. We didn't come here to pick fights." He then walked over to May and Ash then said "Sorry, you two. My friend here has a big mouth."

May said "No problem" & Kyle said "I will just say this so you won't misunderstand. We don't mean to insult that R34 driver. I'm sure her technique is great. But the car, I'd have to say the R34 is no longer good enough."

Seiji then said "He's right! Tell that to the driver. And tell her that might let her race us if she drives a much better car like one of those new Honda S2000s. But we will never lose. The king of the mountain is the Lan-Evo!"

Kyle then was shocked to see Ash. He then said "NO WAY! Is that guy Ashton Morikawa? The guy who beat me last year with that Corvette? What's he doing here in Gunma?

Ash said "I AM SO PISSED OFF AT THEM, MAY! THOSE JERKS DON'T HAVE ANY RESPECT FOR YOU AND ME! Are you pissed as well, May?"

May said "I am frustrated. When I saw you get so excited, I calmed down for some reason. Besides, we have met racers like him before. It was pointless to respond."

May then gave Ash a Coca-Cola and Ash said thank you to May.

May and Ash were sitting under a tree drinking their Coca-Colas when Ash said "I don't think those two are after you. They are probably after me because I beat Kyle last year and I guess they want revenge."

May said "You're onto something, Ash. I think they want to take you on in a rematch."

Later that day, May and Ash were at Yuichi's gas station and were talking to Drew about the Lan-Evos they met and how rude they were to them.

Drew then said "That guy does sound disgusting."

Kenji then said "I think they could be from the Emperor team."

Ash said "Why yes. There was a sticker with Emperor on it." and May wanted to know who they were.

Kenji said "They're a team of Lan-Evos from Nikko in the Tochigi Prefecture. They're arrogant and very fast."

Drew said "They took on a team called Thunder Fire and they had a hard time and said they would conquer Gunma next, some maybe they could come to Haruna."

May said "Were they scouting for competition?" and Drew said "I would think so. A Lan-Evo is tough even if you have a more powerful car like a R34 or Supra."

Ash said "I don't think they're after May. They're after me because I raced the leader last year and won."

Drew said "YOU HAVE RACED THEM? TELL ME ABOUT IT!"

Ash said "I was home for the summer last year in Nikko. My dad and I were working on a 1990 Chevy Corvette ZR-1 he found at a used sports car dealer for ¥750,000. He bought it for me because he knew I was a fan of American muscle cars. We worked on it a lot, sometimes all through the night. When my dad and I were done tuning the Corvette, the power was incredible. It had 425 HP, the same as what May used to have in the R34. Then about a year ago, Kyle Sudou challenged me to a race on Irohazaka. It was a tough race but I was able to pull it off and I shocked everyone because I won in a car me and my dad worked on so badly to make it a true racer and beat a Lan-Evo."

Drew said "Interesting. You won in a Corvette you and your dad tuned to make it a pure racer. So that's how you set the record time at Irohazaka. NICE!"

In Akagi, Ryousuke was standing next to his FC when a Lan-Evo came. It was Kyle Sudou who was driving the Lan-Evo. Kyle said that it had been a while since they last met.

Ryousuke said "So it was you, Kyle Sudou." He took off his glasses then wanted to know what Kyle was up to.

Kyle said "How rude. It's been a year since we met. I don't have anybody to play with in my area, so I'm bored and looking for a new friend to play with. I will be playing around in this area, so I have come to say hello."

Ryousuke said "Do whatever you want but it won't be that fun for you on Akagi As long as the Red Suns are here."

Kyle said "You're optimistic like always. Remember that I'm different from a year ago. That punk with his fancy pants Corvette got the best of me and my team. I heard a rumor that he now lives in Haruna, so do you know anything about him or where he now lives?"

Ryousuke said "I don't know anybody who drives a Corvette. What's his name?"

Kyle said "His name is Ashton Morikawa but he is commonly called Ash."

Ryousuke said "I know him. He's a well-rounded racer and now drives a Supra."

Kyle said "I know that. I met him yesterday but I was like if I never knew him. He was with a girl named May Chan and I heard she is making a name for herself in Haruna now."

Ryousuke said "That's right. She beat me 2 weeks ago at Haruna in her R34. She has mad skills."

Ryousuke then drove off and Seiji said he would follow him.

Kyle then said "Don't even try, Seiji. It's impossible for you to keep up with him."

Seiji said "I can't? He's such a wimp and he doesn't seem that fast."

Kyle then said "YOU IDIOT! DON'T UNDERESTIMATE RYOUSUKE TAKAHASHI! I was totally outrun by his FC a year ago. It was before my race with that kid Morikawa who also lived in Nikko. I thought I was the only one to beat Akagi's White Comet. However, he lost to a R34 driven by a 16 year old girl."

Kyle then remembered what Ash said to him the previous day about the R34 and said "I see now. It's the R34 Morikawa told me about yesterday. But he has won a race also in his Supra against Shingo Shoji in a duct tape death match that happened in January."

The next day in Haruna, May and Ash were talking about what to do. May said to Ash "Who should race that Evo IV?" & Ash said "I don't know. I think I might race them."

May then said "All right, then. Whatever you say."

In Myogi, Takeshi Nakazato was lighting a cigarette when Kyle and Seiji came over to see him.

Kyle said "This is a one-race match. It will be decided by an uphill battle."

Takeshi then said "That's fine with me." & Kyle said "Shall we begin, then?"

Kyle then said to Seiji "Are you ready, Seiji?"

Seiji said "Anytime!"

Shingo said in his head "Don't mess this up, Takeshi. Show them the will power of Gunma drivers! Just for today, I will root for you!"

Kyle then said to himself "Our goal is much more than this race. Seiji, don't waste time goofing around here."

A Night Kids member said "Five seconds to the start! 4… 3… 2… 1… GO!"

Takeshi and Kyle then drove off to the first corner. Takeshi took the early lead in his R32. Both Takeshi and Kyle were battling hard through Myogi.

While racing, Seiji said "Wait and see. Compared to a Lan-Evo, an R32 is just a toy. I will show you the difference!"

Takeshi said "You Emperor punks, or whatever you call yourselves, I will defend Gunma! And you'll be buried deep at the bottom of Myogi Valley!"

Takeshi knew he couldn't afford another loss because he lost to Keisuke Takahashi 3 weeks earlier.


	2. Act 02: Team Emperor Attacks Haruna

When we last left off, Seiji was racing Takeshi Nakazato at Myogi. Takeshi had the lead but Seiji was right behind him.

Takeshi told himself "I can't lose this battle! I can't lose to these guys who stepped on our home with dirty shoes!"

Seiji then said it was time to make a pass. Takeshi drifted up a bit which opened the door for Seiji to pass him. Seiji passed Takeshi like he wasn't there.

One guy said "NO WAY! He passed Takeshi easily." & another guy said "That Evo IV is good!"

At the finish line, a guy told Shingo "Takeshi's R32 fell behind. The Evo IV is trying to widen the gap!"

Shingo then said "What's that Lan-Evo guy thinking?"

Shingo then looked at Kyle and said "Against a skilled Myogi racer, he chose to be in front, which is unfavorable. Does he think he's good enough to do that, or is he an idiot?"

While racing, Takeshi said "This race is just starting"

Seiji drifted into the next corner but Takeshi decided not to drift causing Takeshi to lose ground to Takeshi.

In Akagi at the Takahashi residence, Keisuke knocked on a door said to Ryousuke "Big brother, are you in there?"

Keisuke opened the door and Ryousuke said "What is it, Keisuke?"

Keisuke said "The Lan-Evo team is racing at Mount Myogi. I just got the news.

Ryousuke said "Against the Night Kids' Nakazato?"

Keisuke then said "I suppose. Who's going to win, big brother?"

Ryousuke didn't respond and Keisuke then said "Just this once, I'm rooting for Nakazato to win. The Lan-Evo's vulgar spoiler makes me want to puke."

Ryousuke then told Keisuke "Nakazato's strength lies in his boldness and his offensive driving method. When he's on, he's fast, but he tends to crack under pressure. I sure hope he has recovered from the loss he suffered against you."

Back at Myogi, Takeshi was trying to catch up with Seiji but couldn't seem to gain ground. Takeshi then said "This can't be happening! But the race is far from over! If I don't stop them, then who will?"

Takeshi went wide at the corner and hit the wall which infuriated him.

At the finish line, Kyle said to Takeshi "We get your team sticker, as promised." Kyle then took out his Swiss army knife and slice the Night Kids sticker in half.

Seiji put the sticker on his rear spoiler and then said "In no time, my Evo IV's spoiler will be covered with the stickers of all the teams in Gunma."

Shingo then told Seiji "Don't start celebrating yet! There are many fast racers in Gunma!"

Seiji then said "That sounds to me like the pathetic cry of a loser."

Kyle told Seiji that they would be leaving to go back to Tochigi. Before leaving Seiji said "By the way, from now on, you pull over whenever you see a car with the Emperor sticker on it.

Shingo then told Takeshi "I can't believe that he was faster than your R32 in an uphill race."

The next day in Haruna, Max told everyone "Last night, the Night Kids were defeated by that Lan-Evo team."

Drew then went "WHAT? NO WAY! MY BROTHER LOST?!"

Kenji then told him "Everyone has been talking about it, Akito. They say Nakazato's R32 hit the wall and was damaged.

Drew then went "That sucks! Things certainly have been rough for the Night Kids lately. I wish I felt bad for them but I don't want anything to do with them"

Kenji then said "You're right. I also heard the Lan-Evo corps says that they'll conquer Gunma in a month and are now setting their sights on Haruna."

Drew then said "What do we do if they come here?"

Max said "We will fight them but I want either Ash or my sister to race them. Since they are the fastest here in Haruna, I think it's best one of those two have a battle with them."

Drew then came along and said "I think that sounds like a great idea, Max. None of our cars could even pose a threat so you brought up a good idea."

Max then said to Drew "I am glad you agree with me, Drew. Since those two are the fastest, then one of them will race them."

Drew then said "I heard the leader, Kyle Sudou, wants a rematch with Ash so I wouldn't be surprised if Ash raced him."

A few minutes later, Ash came by and said "Hey guys. What's up?"

Max said to Ash "They may specifically challenge you to a downhill battle, but you can just ignore them."

Ash said "Why do you want me to race them?" & Max said "You and May are our pride. I'd hate to ruin it against a Lan-Evo. You're also not officially a Speed Star, either."

Kenji then said "I want you and May to keep on racing and winning. The Lan-Evo is no joke. It's like racing against a WRC rally car. Its light body is equipped with turbo and 4WD. That car shouldn't be allowed on any pass."

Yuichi then came outside listening to the guys talk about the Lan-Evo.

Ash then said "I will race them because I would hate to run away. Besides, they want to beat me so bad for what happened a year ago."

The guys agreed with what Ash said and then May came to the gas station.

May said "So it looks like you are racing one of the Lan-Evos on Haruna, huh Ash? You will win because you're awesome. GO FOT IT, ASH! THE LAN-EVO IS GOING DOWN!"

Kenji then asked Max if Ash would be okay and Max said "Even though his Supra has a lot of power, the chances of Ash winning is zero because he's going up against the fastest 4-cylinder car in Japan. Not to mention, the Lan-Evo is a car made for street racing."

Later that day, May said to Ash "I think you should power up your Supra. It's your best chance to win."

Ash said "Well since you are a top racer now, I think your R34 needs more power to compete but I should power up my Supra and it starts with the turbo system. The engine in here now is starting to wear down so maybe I need a new 2JZ-GTE engine and I've already found one. It should be here tomorrow and I will have it installed at the shop I work at when I go to work tomorrow."

May said "That's great! The new engine should be more powerful, right?"

Ash said "The guy who sold me the engine says it has more than 400 HP because it has a racing turbo."

The next day, Ash woke up at 5:30 AM and went to his shop so he could get his new 2JZ-GTE installed. When he arrived, his friend Juichi said "Your engine should be here around 7:00 AM. You don't have to pay for it because the boss knew you needed a new engine in your Supra so he bought it for you. You better thank him for doing that."

Ash then went to Mr. Matsuyama and thanked him for buying a new engine for him and his boss said "You are welcome, Ash. You should be able to set new records with this engine."

At 7:00 AM, Ash's new engine came and along with his co-workers, they put the new engine in his Supra. It took them about 2 ½ hours to install it but it was worth it.

Juichi then said to Ash "Your new engine has been installed, so are you happy now?"

Ash said "Happy? I'm over enjoyed about my new engine. So how much horsepower does it have now?"

Juichi said "We tested the car with the new engine on the dynamometer and it said it has 415 HP."

Ash said "WOW! That's only 10 less HP than May's R34. I have to find a new RB26DETT for May's car and the one I found can make more than 500 HP."

Later that day in Tochigi, Kyle and Seiji were looking at the side of Seiji's spoiler.

Kyle said "At this rate, the side of the spoiler will be covered in no time."

Seiji then said "It's kind of fun if I think of it as a game. But I want to race more capable racers. Where's our next target, Kyle?

Kyle said "Tomorrow night, we'll head to Haruna. I want to beat Ashton Morikawa and his Supra. This will be our revenge for what happened last year."

Seiji said "Morikawa and that Supra? How boring."

Kyle then said "I don't mind doing it myself, Seiji."

One of their friends said "Kyle will race him? Why?"

Kyle then said "Our ultimate target is Ryousuke Takahashi of the Akagi Red Suns. But before that, we will beat Morikawa and get our revenge. I went to see the course yesterday. The slope is severe. My Evo III is lighter and better suited for it.

Seiji then said "You kidding me? Let me take him on, Kyle. No matter where I race, I won't lose to anyone. There is only one car that my Evo IV can't beat and it's your Evo III, Kyle. Team Emperor's ace is not needed against a Supra. I will do it and get our revenge.

The next day in Haruna, May went to a grocery store to pick up some stuff with Drew.

Drew said to May "I am a little worried about Ash because he's going up against a 4-cylinder that's a force to be reckoned with."

May then said "I don't think he will lose. The only person he would lose to is me and my R34."

Drew said "I heard Ash put a new engine in his Supra. Maybe he will win."

Later that day, May was home when Max came over. May said "What's going on, bro?"

Max said "They're coming to Haruna. Tonight."

That night, Kyle and Seiji were driving on Haruna while Max, Kenji, Akito, and Drew were standing at the start line waiting for them. Ash was also with them waiting for Seiji and Kyle to arrive

Drew said "Here they come! The Lan-Evo squad!"

Kenji then said "The white one is the one who raced Nakazato on Myogi. Rumor has it that's he's ridiculously fast."

Kyle and Seiji along with other people driving Lan-Evos then came to the start area.

When Kyle and Seiji got out of their cars, they said "You must be the Haruna Speed Stars. I'm the leader of the Emperor team, Kyle Sudou. You probably know this already but we came here to take on a guy named Ash Morikawa. We accept all your conditions. Any number of races, of any type, under any conditions. But if you fail to win even one race, we'll take your team sticker. Understood?"

Max said "Our sticker?"

Drew then said "What are they going to do with it?" & Kenji said "I have no idea."

Akito then said "It's okay, right?"

Max then said to Kyle "We accept."

Kyle said "Then let's get right to the race. We don't have much time. The first race is the main downhill race. Have that guy's Supra ready."

Max then asked "Who's racing for you?"

Seiji said "I am, and I drive an Evo IV."

Kenji then said "Max, they said they were ready for more than one race, so who's racing after Ash?"Max said "If Ash loses, I will race next. If he can beat Ash, I sure won't be able to beat him, but we can't accept defeat without a fight."

Kenji said to Max "Then I will race after you. We've been relying on May too much lately. We can't rely too much on Ash also. Let's show him that we're capable, too!"

Ash was about to drive to the starting point when Max walked over to him. He said "I am counting on you, our leadoff man! Ash beat that punk!"

Ash nodded and Max said "GO GET HIM!"

Ash then drove off to the start point.

Akito said "BEAT HIM GOOD, ASH! WE'RE COUNTING ON YOU!"

Ash then went to the other part of the side road and faced his car in the right direction for the race.

Kyle said "Don't take this lightly, Seiji. Morikawa is a tough guy to beat, so go with Simulation 3."

Seiji said "WHAT? Are you serious? Simulation 3 against a Supra?"

Kyle said "That's right." Kyle then said in his head "I can tell. I felt his energy. Morikawa is capable. He's not a fake. He has something that made him beat me in a Corvette. Until we know what it is, we can't let our guard down.

Meanwhile Kenji pulled the cars to the starting point. He said he would be doing the countdown.

Max said to Ash "Are you ready?

Ash said "I am ready. I know I can beat him."

Seiji said to himself "I saw him once by Lake Haruna. It makes for Morikawa to switch from an overweight American sports car to a lighter weighty Supra. Kyle has developed 3 strategies to win on an opponent's course. Simulation 3 is only used against the toughest opponents, so it doesn't surprise me that he's using it against Morikawa and his Supra. I think I get Kyle's plan.

Kenji then said "We're going in 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO!"

Both Seiji and Ash got off to great starts.

While catching up to Ash, Seiji said "I won't show you how great the Evo IV is, but how incredible I am!"

Ash drifted through a pair of corners and Seiji fell a little behind. Then Seiji caught up to Ash and was right on his rear bumper.


	3. Act 03: The Feeling of Defeat

When we last left off, Ash was battling Seiji Iwaki of Team Emperor. Ash's Supra was in an early lead with Seiji's Evo IV not far behind. Ash was trying his best to keep Seiji behind him.

Seiji then said "No matter how hard you push you car in the corner, a Supra is a Supra after all."

Seiji then started to gain speed on Ash. Ash then remembered something Seiji said to him saying that racing a Supra wasn't worth his time.

Ash then said "You don't know who'll win until you race. I will show what my Supra is capable of doing!"

One member of Team Emperor with a green sweater said "With the speed of the Evo IV, Seiji should take the lead before the first corner, despite that Supra having a better start."

Another member of Emperor said "That wasn't even Seiji's full start, though."

The guy with the green sweater said "He stayed behind on purpose? Is he on Simulation 2?"

Kyle said "Offensive-minded Seiji is being very careful."

The guy in the green sweater said "There's no need for that against a Supra. Simulation 1 should be enough to beat him."

Kyle then said in his head "Not necessarily. Seiji is a top-notch racer, but he isn't clever. So far, all his races were easy, so he's getting careless. Simulation 3 is to tighten his loose mind. If Morikawa was able to beat me with a Corvette ZR-1 that tells me he can drive almost any car. I'm impressed! Seiji will need some luck to win because he's going up against one of Japan's fastest cars, the JZA80 Supra."

At the start line, Max said "That Evo IV like all Lan-Evos are powered by a 2 litre turbo-charged, 4-cylinder engine. I'm impressed he's able to keep up with a twin-turbo, 6-cylinder engine like the 2JZ-GTE in Ash's Supra"

Kyle then said in his mind "Don't mess up now, Seiji. Stumbling before facing Ryousuke is unacceptable."

Seiji was now on Ash tail and Ash seemed like he couldn't match Seiji's speed. Ash drifted at the next corner to pull away a little on Seiji.

At the start line, Max said "Maybe it's too much to ask. But I believe Ash can win because he has a car capable of beating a Lan-Evo."

Kenji said "Basically, the Evo IV is a WRC rally car. It's light, and is equipped with turbo and 4WD. On top of that, the driver has first-class technique. I'm afraid Ash might lose."

Drew then said "Come on, Kenji and Max! Why are you always so pessimistic about things? Besides, the Lan-Evo isn't the only street car perfect for rally racing. My GC8 is also a top quality rally racer. However for the past 3 season in the World Rally Championship, Tommi Mäkinen has dominated the series with the Lan-Evo. Anyway, Ash is racing and he is just as good as May! Ash will make something happen in this race."

While racing, Ash plus Seiji were racing hard going to the next corner. Seiji said to himself "CRAP! I hate this. It's so frustrating. DAMN IT!"

Ash then make a power slide at the next corner and Ash was able to pull away from Seiji a little. But Seiji then started to close the gap again. Both cars were now starting to get faster.

At the start line, Max said to Drew "Why didn't May come?"

Drew said "She had to work late tonight at the police station. She won't be done until 11:30 PM."

Meanwhile, May was on patrol. She was driving around town to make sure things were all right. She said to herself "I hope Ash can win. I wish I could be there to support him."

Both Seiji and Ash were now picking up the speed. Seiji got a little too close to Ash bumper so he had to push off the gas pedal a little bit.

Seiji then said "This is a total joke. Why does my Evo IV have to stay cooped up behind this Supra? I can barely step on the gas. I'm getting frustrated. Full Blast is all that's in my Evo IV dictionary. Why use Simulation 3 against this somewhat ancient Supra? He's nowhere near that good, Kyle!

Kyle then said "Don't rush to win, Seiji."

Seiji then said "What's this anger? I'm so irritated! Why am I so pissed off?"

At a corner, Hiroshi asked Keisuke "Hey, Keisuke. What did Ryousuke say about this race?

Keisuke told him "He didn't say much. He told me to come here if I was going to watch."

Hiroshi then said "It sounds like there's a reason behind that."

Keisuke agreed with Hiroshi.

Kenta then said to Keisuke "Normally, you would think an Evo IV wouldn't stand a chance of winning against a Supra. The Supra's faster than a Lan-Evo."

Keisuke then said to Kenta "Don't act like you know everything, Kenta. Normally you'd think your S14 would be faster than that R34 that girl drives."

Ryo then told Keisuke "Stop being rude to Kenta. Kenta's race against the R34 was good experience for him."

Keisuke then said "Well, whatever. Team Emperor or whatever they're called, one thing will be certain after this battle against Ash on Haruna's downhill."

While racing, Seiji said "This is the longest straightaway on this course. I can easily get ahead of him if I want.

Keisuke then said to himself "If you get impatient and jump ahead, the race is over for you."

Seiji then said "DAMN IT! I've had enough of this!

Keisuke said "That's how everyone lost, including my brother."

Kenta then asked "You'll lose if you take the lead?"

Keisuke then said "Right. Can you understand that paradox, Kenta?"

Seiji then yelled "HERE I GO!" and took the lead away from Ash.

Seiji then said in his head "Simulation 3 or not, Kyle. I just have to win this race, right?!"

Ash then said "HE'S FAST!"

Seiji then said "Now you'll see how outclassed you are. I will keep blasting away until you disappear from my rearview mirror. SEE YA, MORIKAWA!" Seiji then sped off to the next corner.

In Haruna, May was on her way home in her R34 thinking if she should go to Mount Haruna.

She said "I want to see the race but I'm too damn tired to drive. I will go straight home. It's not worth it driving while tired. I learned that in driver's ed. Anyways, I think Ash can pull off the victory and beat that Evo IV. Those guys will be the laughing stock of Gunma when this race is over with."

Back at Haruna, at the start line, the Emperor member in the green sweater said "What? Seiji got ahead of the Supra? He's pulling away"

His friends said "ALL RIGHT"

Max said "I knew it."

The guy in the cream jacket said "That's the Seiji we know. He's gone now!"

Thy guy in the green sweater said "That Supra is nothing!"

The guy in the cream jacket then said "YEAH! Despite his looks, Seiji is highly skilled. He won't lose now."

Kyle then threw a cigarette on the pavement in anger and said "THAT IDIOT!" He then stomped on the cigarette in disgust.

Kyle then said in his mind "Seiji has mastered driving his Lan-Evo fast. He knows a 4WD car has to enter a corner at top speed to be able to drift through it."

Seiji drifted at the next corner and Ash was able to gain some ground on him.

Kyle then said "During the drift, you can only control the car by steering while flooring the accelerator. The car tends to fishtail if you try to control it with the pedal like you would with an FR. Full acceleration is the 4WD's way. That's the hardest thing about driving a 4WD car. No mediocre racer turn with full control. But once you master the technique, you can turn any corner at remarkably high speed. I guess I don't have to worry about Seiji, but why I am feeling so anxious?"

While racing, Seiji said to himself "Enter with speed and turn with full acceleration. It's completely different from the junker FR's slow "crab" turn. Watch me and learn. Of course he has to be close by to see it. I doubt he's anywhere near me. He's so far…"

Then Seiji saw Ash closing the gap on him. Seiji said in disbelief "WHAT? He's right behind me instead of far back! THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE! He can keep up with my drift? He's much better than I thought. I see"

Ash was now closing in on Seiji and both racers were drifting through the corners with an incredible amount of speed.

Seiji then said "I get it now. My irritation didn't come from not being able to speed up on the straightaways. I guess I was aware of the actual reason while I was following him. I hate to admit it, but I… I… I'm slower in the corners!

Ash then said "Somehow, I've managed to keep up with him this far."

Seiji then said "There's another reason why I can't pull away. The straightaways are short on this part of Haruna, so the power gap is less significant. But I will show you in the high-speed section and make you disappear from my rear view mirror. I bet my Lan-Evo racer's pride on it!"

The two then went full throttle and Seiji said "At the end of a long, accelerating straightaway waits a hairpin turn. That's how it is. Here it comes. I will outrace with my technique, not my machine's capabilities."

The two were now approaching the 1st hairpin with Seiji holding a big lead.

Ash then said "He is definitely fast. His car is very fast. That Evo IV is a very fast car."

At the 2nd hairpin, Yuichi was watching the race. He said "They'll be here shortly."

One guy named Koji said "The Lan-Evo is ahead."

Another guy named Ryoji said "Haruna's famous five hairpin turns.

Koji said "What power!" & Ryoji said "It's like a WRC car."

A guy named Heijiro said "The Supra is way behind. I've never seen him this far behind at the five hairpins in past battles."

A guy named Gunpei said "Maybe the Supra can't pull it off this time. The car is too inferior."

While driving full speed ahead, Ash said "Now it's time to use the ditch!"

Koji said "That was fast." & Ryoji said "How did he turn so fast?"

Yuichi said to Masashi "See that, Masashi? That's how Ash drives. He learned that from his father, Robert."

Masashi said "You're kidding me! It looked like his dad was driving it. The sound alone shows how great he is. He was flooring the pedal for a long time. No normal 18-year-old has skills like that."

Yuichi then said "Like father, like son."

Masashi then said "But, that kind of driving sure is rough on the engine."

Meanwhile, Seiji was drifting through every corner but wasn't making it work well. He said "These are tough turns. But I don't think I lost any time. No matter the car, any driver would lose speed on these turns. I should be safe with this much of a lead."

Then Seiji saw Ash was using the ditch to gain ground on him.

Seiji was shocked to see Ash catch up to him He said "What happened? This can't be!"

Ash now kept the gap constant which got on Seiji's nerves. Seiji then said "This is humiliating. I can't shake him off, even with my technique and power! What is this? YOU PUNK, DON'T INSULT ME!"

The two were heading to where Keisuke and his friends were.

Keisuke said "It's almost time for them to come."

Kenta said "I wonder who's ahead, the Lan-Evo or the Supra? Keisuke, you said earlier that the Lan-Evo would lose if he was out in front. Why is that?"

Keisuke said "I know from that duct tape death match that he won't let you run away with the lead. He sticks right with you like super glue. If you get irritated and rely on the car's power to shake him off, the tires deflate."

While racing, Seiji was getting more mad Ash kept with him. Seiji then said "Damn it, he's right on me."

Keisuke then said "The key is how you use the tires. Anyone who jumps ahead without knowing that will lose."

Seiji then said "The front tires are losing pressure. This is irritating. I just can't stay focused. Don't panic. No need to shake him off. I will win if I keep my lead. I'm certainly in a more favorable position. No matter how fast he can turn, he can't pass me at a corner. And I'm way faster on the straightaways!" He then took a deep breath and said "I wasn't wrong. Taking the lead back there was the right move. I'm the winner, Kyle!"

Seiji blocked every time Ash tried to make a pass.


	4. Act 04: Hollow Victory

When we last left off, Seiji and Ash were battling hard to the finish. Seiji now thought he was going to lose because he was losing grip in his tires.

At the start line, Drew said in his head "Ash is something else. May is right. She and Ash are now becoming the fastest in Haruna. It's like this when either Ash or May races. The tension in the air is the same. YOU CAN DO IT ASH! WIN FOR HARUNA! Kenji and Max say it's almost impossible for you to win but you have the more powerful car. May and Ash defeated all the opponents that everyone thought they couldn't beat. I can't base it on facts but I think Ash may beat the Evo IV, too."

Drew then threw a rock and then said to himself "I don't know why, but I'm suddenly feeling hopeful. Right, Ash?

Back to the action, Seiji and Ash were battling with everything they had. Ash seemed to be able to get faster and not let Seiji pull away.

Seiji said "I didn't think a Supra could race this well. The downhill race is so deep. That Supra's 2JZ-GTE engine is what makes it fast."

Ash then said "I knew Seiji was fast but not this fast. He certainly has a fast car!"

Ash then tried to pass Seiji but it didn't work.

Meanwhile, Kenta then said "I just, don't understand one thing, Keisuke."

Keisuke said "Yeah?"

Kenta said "Even if he sticks like super glue, how can he pass the Evo IV with his somewhat inferior Supra? I understand that downhill races minimize the power difference, but it can never make the Supra more agile. He's slower on the straightaways, despite having a powerful engine. Since they're equally skilled, it's almost impossible for him to get ahead at a corner. If he can't get ahead, he'll lose.

Keisuke told Kenta "Just wait. I don't need to explain it. What's about to happen right there is the answer to your question."

Kenta then said in his head "I don't get it. He can't get ahead. It's impossible!"

While racing, Seiji said "He shortens the gap right before we enter each corner. That's partially because my front tires have lost some pressure. It's a Supra after all. It has somewhat slow acceleration because the front is really heavy. I can always pull away after a turn. It pays to be in front, Kyle. Unless I make a stupid mistake, this race is 100% mine."

Ash then said "He's fast. He's the fastest I've seen, as far as acceleration after a turn is concerned." Ash then floored the gas pedal and then said "I can't stick with him. He has too much power. I've never felt this way before."

Ash then used the gutter again to try to pass Seiji, but to no avail. He then said "Even with the "ditch" turn, I'm falling behind. To offset my slow acceleration, I have to exit corners at a much higher speed than he does. Then I can catch him before the next corner. I guess I have to do what May did against Ryousuke Takahashi. The ditch turn #2 for faster exit acceleration. The corner before the bridge is the place. Can I catch the ditch correctly if I charge in at top speed? I have one chance! Man, I feel different tonight."

Kenta then called Keisuke and Hiroshi because Seiji and Ash were coming to where they were standing. Hiroshi said "They're just around the corner."

Keisuke then said "Honestly, I'm not 100% sure if he can actually pass the Evo IV. I just want to believe that no one can beat him when my brother couldn't. DON'T LOSE! I won't forgive you if you lose to anyone before I battle that R34 again."

Kenta then said "The Supra is behind!"

Ash then said it was now time to try to use the gutter technique. He gained a lot of ground on Seiji.

Meanwhile Seiji said "I won! This is the end." He then looked out his rear view mirror and noticed Ash was gone. Then he noticed that Ash was passing him. Seiji then said "WHAT THE HECK?"

Hiroshi then said "He caught the Evo IV at the turn's exit." & Kenta said "WHAT HAPPENED?"

Keisuke chuckled and said "It's over."

Seiji said "He got inside. WHY? It's heavy in the front, so how can it be so fast? Damn, I can't control the tires. DAMN IT!"

Hiroshi and Kenta then ran over to Keisuke. Hiroshi said "What an incredible race! What will happen next?"

Keisuke said "Nothing. It's over. It was over when he moved next to the Evo IV before this turn. There's no way to pass him now."

Kenta said in his head "Man, he showed him up big time. You're unreal, Ashton Morikawa. Just like that girl in the R34."

When Ash passed some spectators, one said in excitement "THE SUPRA IS IN FRONT!" & another spectator said "HE WON!"

Another spectator said "Haruna's Supra has stopped Team Emperor's sweep!"

A spectator then said "Unbelievable. He beat the Lan-Evo." Ash then parked a couple hundred yards from the finish line.

Ash then said "I won! I have now defeated both Kyle Sudou and Seiji Iwaki. May doesn't need to race Kyle or Seiji. I knew exactly where to attack and when to use the ditch turn. I would have lost anywhere else. Since I won, now I can put that new engine in May's R34."

A 100 yards behind Ash, Kyle slapped Seiji across the face. Seiji said "Sorry, Kyle." & Kyle said "Do you have any idea why I'm mad, Seiji? Do you think you can explain why you lost this race?"

Seiji then said "No, I don't. I just couldn't shake him off. I don't know how that Supra could keep up with me, or what kind of technique he used."

Kyle then said "Of course not. How could you see anything in the rear view mirror? You could have observed much more from behind. Simulation 3 was for that very reason. Had you listened to me, you wouldn't have suffered an ugly loss. Stop acting like a stupid monkey and start using your head! Because of your loss, we will not race that R34. If you won, we would have gotten our revenge for what happened last year and then challenge the R34. Now Morikawa has beaten both of us. He did it last year with that obese Corvette and now has beaten you in that over-steer happy Supra."

Seiji then said "I apologize."

The member of Emperor with the green sweater said "What do we do now, Kyle?"

Kyle said "Our plan to sweep Gunma is no more. Regret however won't erase this defeat. We'll suck it up and head to Akagi next."

Seiji then said "You mean the Red Suns?"

Kyle said "My ultimate target is Ryousuke Takahashi. If we win in Akagi, I will be satisfied. I just have to win."

The member of Emperor with the green sweater then said "What about the R34, Kyle?" & the guy with the cream jacket said "We have our pride. We can't just accept defeat.

Kyle then said "SHUT UP! You don't' have to tell me that! We're not racing her. We came to Haruna for one reason and that was to beat Ash Morikawa to get our revenge for last year. Since we lost to him again, I feel like we may not be able to beat her. But that doesn't mean she can't race us. If she wants, she can race me or Seiji at anytime and we won't turn her down." Kyle then said to himself "I am the one who is the most upset about this. I wanted Seiji to beat Ash for what happened a year ago at Irohazaka. It was bad enough we lost to him on our turf, but it was worse when he set the record there."

The next day, at May and Ash's house, May said "Can I talk with you, Ash?"

Ash said "Of course you can. What do you want to talk about?"

May said "I want to know how the race went for you last night. Did you win?"

Ash said "I won all right. It was tough though. I knew my car had the power advantage but I don't know why he passed me with such easy. Anyway I was able to pass him to win just before the finish line."

May said "That's good. I couldn't make it last night because I was on night patrol. Even though it was pretty quiet, I didn't get out until 10:00 PM. I wanted to go but I was too damn tired."

Ash then said "I didn't mind you were not on Haruna last night. I'm also glad you went home instead of going to Haruna because you were so tired. Listen, you probably don't have to worry about those Lan-Evos racing you. I heard that when the guy I raced against lost to me, Kyle Sudou said he didn't want to race you."

May then said "Well, I feel relieved. You said you were going to do something with my R34 because you won. Is that right?"

Ash then said "Yes, May. I've been waiting to tell you but I got a new engine for your R34. It's a highly tuned version of the RB26DETT. However, I want someone to challenge you first then I will install it before you race them."

Later that day, May was hanging out at Yuichi's gas station. Drew and Max noticed that May was acting weird.

Max said "When May looks spaced out, that means he's thinking about something, right, Drew?"

Drew then said "That's actually rare. Most of the time, she's just spaced out and doesn't think of anything."

Max then asked "Which one is it today?"

Drew said "I have no idea, but she's acting weird today."

Then Kyle pulled up to the gas station. This got May's attention.

Drew then said "A black Evo III!" & Max said "That must be Kyle Sudou."

Kyle then stepped out of his car to talk with May.

Drew then said "IT'S HIM!" & Max said "EMPEROR!"

Kyle walked over to May and said "I have decided that none of us will race you."

Drew then said "Why isn't he battling May?" & Kyle said "You guys wouldn't understand but I could never beat you. Your R34 is way too good for my Evo III. Besides, there's only one person I really want to battle and that's Ryousuke Takahashi. I don't have time for a race with you now, but you can race me at anytime if you want to. You can race me anywhere you want to." Kyle then left the gas station.

May then said to herself "There's no way I will race him. His Evo III doesn't stand a chance against my R34. He doesn't have what it takes to win against me."

Max then said "What nonsense! Who does he think he is? Anyway, I'm glad you're not racing him, sis. Besides, he doesn't have what it takes to defeat you and your R34. He acted cool but I bet he wants revenge in Akagi. I heard that last year, he was beaten badly by Ryousuke Takahashi. That's probably why he doesn't want to race you."

May then said "You're probably right, bro. He would never be able to defeat me and my R34. If his friend lost to Ash, there's no way he could beat me."

Later that night, Seiji and a couple other members of Emperor were driving along Akagi.

The next day, May was at the police station to get ready for patrol. That night, Ash invited Masashi to his house.

Masashi said "I saw it, Ash. I saw you race in Haruna. You are pretty good. Why do you want to replace May's engine despite the fact it's like a brand new car?"

Ash said "I believe May is now at the level where she can handle more power."

Masashi then said "What are you going to do? You said you wouldn't replace it until someone challenged her."

Ash said "That's right, Masashi. It's time for May to advance. She can't advance if she has the engine currently in the R34"

Masashi then said "What will happen first? Someone challenges her or she asks for you to install the new engine. Either way, the new engine is ready to go."

Meanwhile, May was lying on her bed. She said "My R34 is the best in Gunma. Why does Ash want to replace the engine? There's nothing wrong with it. However, he told me I won't advance if I remain the status quo. I won't race until someone challenges me except for one of those Lan-Evos. I don't feel like racing one anytime soon."

In Akagi, Seiji and Kyle were talking about the upcoming race against Ryousuke. Kyle said "How's it going, Seiji?"

Seiji said "I am more than ready to go. I have a strategy for this course. It was kind of annoying to see the Red Suns' lackeys timing me at every checkpoint."

Kyle then said "Ignore them. As long as you know the course perfectly, the strategy is basically the same for any pass."

Kyle said "I would say there's a 40% chance she will show up. But I have no plans of racing her. Once I defeat Ryousuke, we're done with Gunma. But I can't sleep well at night we let one escape in Haruna. Hopefully, I can destroy Ryousuke Takahashi and then our goal will be complete."


	5. Act 05: FC vs Evo III

DATE: JULY 25, 1999

TIME: About 8:00 AM

It was morning and May woke up at 7:00 AM because she had to be at the police station by 8 AM. May said "I hope Ash is right about this. The new engine he's putting into my R34 is more powerful than the old one. If he's telling the truth, then I will become the fastest in Kanto."

While walking to the police station, May walked by the gas station and Max decided to talk with his sister. He said "MAY! What are you doing passing by the gas station?"

May told Max "I have to be at the police station by 8:00 AM and I have about 30 minutes."

Max said "Oh that's right. You said you had to work until 7:30 PM today. Do you want to go to Akagi tonight? Who are you rooting for, sis?

May said "I have to root for Ryousuke Takahashi because when I won, he gave me a lot of respect for my driving. He also seems to think I'm his protégé which is such an awesome feeling. I don't plan on going to Akagi."

May then ran off to the police station.

Then, Yuichi wanted to know who was the person who walked by and Drew said "That girl was May. She was walking to the police station for duty."

Yuichi then said "Why didn't she drive?"

Drew said "There are 2 reasons for that boss. One reason is she felt like some exercise would do her some good and the other reason is I heard Ash is putting a new engine in her car. From what I heard, the engine produces over 500 HP."

Yuichi then asked the guys what they were doing tonight.

Max said "Ryousuke Takahashi is racing a Lan-Evo from Irohazaka tonight at Akagi so Kenji and I are going up there. May said she had no plans on going to Akagi"

Yuichi then wanted to know when did May pass by and Max said "She came here around 7:30 this morning. Why not try calling Ash about why he's putting a new engine in May's R34."

Yuichi said "That sounds like a great idea."

Yuichi called Ash's house but nobody answered. Yuichi then said "He must be at work right now or he's probably getting the new engine installed. I can't get a hold of May because she's on patrol so I guess I'm out of luck."

Then a yellow FD came and Kenji said "That's Keisuke Takahashi. What's he doing here?"

Keisuke asked "Is May Chan around?" and Max said "She's on patrol and won't be done until 7:30 PM tonight. What brings you here, Keisuke?"

Keisuke then said "Last week's race doesn't count. I don't accept it. It was too strange to be considered a race. The race was basically a guy in an Evo IV showing off and thinking he could a far more powerful Supra. I don't know how others feel about it but that race was not legitimate. Sure Ash won but that was because the guy in the Evo IV was so cocky he let his guard down. One more thing, we will be happy to break the Emperor's nose so we can send them back to Tochigi. Later."

Max then said "I will tell her that okay. My friend Kenji and I will be there tonight. One more thing, good luck with tonight's race, we'll be rooting for you."

Keisuke then said "That's cool. See you guys tonight." Keisuke then rode off in his FD.

Later that day, May went back home at around 7:30 PM and laid on her bed thinking about who would win tonight's battle in Akagi. Then a rock hit her window and thought Ash was home but found out it was Drew.

She went to her window and said "HEY! Drew, don't you think this rock is a little too big? You could have broken the window and Ash would be very mad at you."

Drew said "I looked for smaller ones, but I couldn't find any. I figured it would be okay if I threw it lightly."

May then said "It's not okay! I know you were a quarterback at Myogi High School but that doesn't mean you should throw rocks at someone's window, especially one at the place you live in."

May threw the rock back at Drew but it ricocheted on to Drew's car. May said "OOPS, SORRY! I didn't do it on purpose!"

Drew then said "I guess I deserved it."

When she came downstairs to see Drew, May said "Listen, I told you that I wasn't going to Akagi."

Drew said "I know. I decided not to go, either. Instead, I was going to Mount Haruna for a drive. Do you want to come along?

May said "I would love to."

May and Drew then went to Mount Haruna in Drew's blue GC8. While driving Drew said "Hey, May? I'm sorry about what happened at home. I didn't know."

May said "I don't care about that. How did you hear that the race that Ash had last week didn't count?"

Drew said "I was at the gas station when Keisuke Takahashi told me and Max that last week's race would not count. The reason why he said it wouldn't count was because it wasn't legitimate. Besides, that guy in the Evo IV was just showing off."

Kenji was driving Max to Akagi. Kenji said "Hey, this weird looking car is right on my tail." & Max said "He's probably going to see tonight's race."

Kenji then said "I guess so but he's making me nervous because he's so close to me. I will speed up a little."

Max then said "He's trying to pass us. I think you should let him pass." & Kenji said "What's that person driving?"

Kenji let the car pass him and then it took off. The two were shocked to see what car it was.

Max said "THAT'S A PORSCHE 911 TURBO! One of the fastest cars in the world! Not only that, a girl was driving it."

Kenji said "You're right. That looked like the 993 model. It looks like it has a lot of power."

Max said "That car is a beast. It has a 3.6 litre twin-turbo flat-6 engine that produces 450 HP. From the sound of it though, it sounds like it has at least 480 HP."

Kenji said "How can you tell it has that much power?"

Max said "I could tell by the way the turbo sounded."

Kenji said "She passed my SR20DET turbo like it was parked! Unbelievable! This is uphill, too!"

Max then said "It had Saitama license plates. I have heard about a Porsche 911 tearing up Shomaru Pass but could that be the one people were talking about? You don't see many street racers with non-Japanese cars. She must be from a wealthy family and or has a high paying job.

At Haruna, Drew parked his car near the lake. He and May had a nice talk about May's R34.

Drew said "So what do you know about the new engine Ash is talking about?"

May said "From what he has told me, it produces over 500 horsepower. It's a highly tuned version of the RB26DETT. Anyway, I'm glad I came with you tonight. I'm sick and tired of those Lan-Evos. I hope Ryousuke beats them and drives them out of Gunma."

Drew then said "I hope so, too."

At Akagi, some people were talking about the battle for tonight. One spectator said to another that he hoped Ryousuke would win.

Somewhere on the course, Takeshi Nakazato caught up with Shingo and was surprised Shingo came to Akagi.

Takeshi said "So, Shingo, you came to see the battle, too?"

Shingo said "Hey, Takeshi. I thought I should root for the RedSuns tonight."

Takeshi said "Ryousuke won't lose. We can't let that Lan-Evo squad looking down on Gunma.

Shingo then said "Yeah. Huh? We're too close again. Let's keep our distance." They moved away from each other.

The 911 from Saitama then came up and some guy said "That must be the 911 from Shomaru Pass in Saitama. The driver's a girl."

When she pulled off the course, Zoey Nishidake and Dawn Iwase came out of the car

Zoey said "This is a good spot to watch the race, Dawn."

Then Kyle Sudou and his gang appeared and someone shouted "GOOD LUCK, RED SUNS!"

Kyle then got out of his car and met face to face with Ryousuke and then said "Do you have anything to say, Ryousuke?

Ryousuke said "Not really. Tonight's battle only involved you and me."

Kyle then said "That's more like it. Let's start a real race, shall we?"

Back in Haruna, Drew said to May "Remember, you told me you wouldn't race in Haruna anymore? When I heard that, I thought you were so brave. Your wanting to race elsewhere impressed me."

May said "Well I think I need to race outside of Haruna more often to advance my skills. I can't maintain the status quo or I will never move up the ladder."

Drew then said "May, you're pretty brave saying that."

In Akagi, Ryousuke and Kyle were revving up their cars for the race ahead.

Seiji said to Kyle "What's your plan for tonight?"

Kyle said "I am using Simulation X."

Seiji then said "Simulation X? Do we have a Simulation X?"

Kyle then said "Ryousuke is an exception. It's a special strategy for this battle. I will win with Simulation X."

Keisuke then said "I am about to start the countdown! 5, 4, 3, 2, 1, GO!"

Both Ryousuke and Kyle sped off to the 1st corner.

Keisuke said to himself "As long as my brother runs his normal race, he won't lose to that Lan-Evo."

Ryousuke was able to take the early lead from Kyle. Some people watching the race were amazed by Ryousuke's style.

One guy said "What sharp cornering by Ryousuke Takahashi!"

The spectators ran across to see them at the next corner. Another spectator said "How odd! Ryousuke usually lets his opponent take the lead. What will happen next?"

While watching the race, Dawn went "AWESOME! Both cars are so intense!"

Zoey said "This race is so thrilling. Can you see their subtle strategies, Dawn?"

Dawn went "What?"

Zoey said "The Evo III had a quick start, but he didn't fully accelerate. When they entered the first corner all tangled up, it seemed to me that the Evo III retreated a little. Perhaps the Evo II chose to stay behind as part of some strategy. It was worth coming to Akagi to be able to see a race like this."

Dawn was amazed at what Zoey told her.

While racing, Ryousuke seemed to have an advantage over Kyle and his Evo III.

Kyle then said "I can win. I can win this race! By staying behind, I can see what Ryousuke is trying to do. I've got him. All the uncertainties in my head are gone now."

The two were cornering incredibly and Kyle was able to keep the gap about the same.

Kyle then said "I have not forgotten it, Ryousuke. What you told me a year ago after I lost to you."

(FLASHBACK, ONE YEAR AGO)

Kyle said "Don't let this go to your head! I still don't accept street racers. They're all mediocre racers! The motor sport technique to achieve maximum speed can be inferior to primitive street technique! That's what I believe."

Ryousuke then said "You can believe what you want, but the mountain pass requires its own technique. You won't succeed with just the technique you learned at Gymkhana and other circuits."

Kyle then said "That can't possibly be right!" & Ryousuke said "KYLE! I don't intend to continue this fruitless conversation with you. It won't lead to an answer. If you believe your theory is right, then defeat me. If you can't, then it's just a theory."

Kyle then said in his head "I won't forget this. I will defeat you, and make you taste this same anguish."

(END OF FLASHBACK)

Back at the race, Kyle said to himself "I have not forgotten it, Ryousuke. I know you know it, too. All of our racing theories and personal beliefs are riding on this race tonight."

Ryousuke drifted through a couple of corners.

Kyle then said "Ryousuke, you said the mountain pass requires its own technique. The boldness to take the shortest line, heel and toe, and the all-wheel drift with zero counter steering. You sure are fast, but what's so special about your technique? You're merely using circuit racing technique!"

Kyle then pulled up to Ryousuke. He then said "If you seek speed, you'll end up having to rely on motor sport technique! My theory is right!"

A guy told the start line "Ryousuke's FC is moving smoothly. The Evo III is right with him."

Takeshi then heard them coming He said "Who's leading?" & Shingo said "The FC or the Evo III?"

Takeshi then said "IT'S THE FC!"

Kyle then said "I will show you how much I've grown since last year, Ryousuke!"

Kyle then passed Ryousuke on the inside but he and Ryousuke were side by side with Kyle taking a slight lead.

Takeshi and Shingo were watching them battle.

Kyle then said in his head "This is where my 4WD and the misfiring system excel!" Then Kyle was able to get a power boost and pass Ryousuke.

Takeshi then said WHAT?! The Evo III passed Ryousuke Takahashi's FC!" Shingo was also shocked Kyle passed Ryousuke.


	6. Act 06: The Dangerous Car

When we last left off, Kyle had just passed Ryousuke and everyone was stunned to see the FC be passed so easily.

Ryousuke however was able to keep up with Kyle.

When they passed, Takeshi said "He worked that counterattack flawlessly! It was so easy I'm at a loss for words."

Shingo then said "The Lan-Evo is monstrous. Its extra boost and traction. No FR can imitate that, no matter how powerful it is."

Takeshi then said "You're so right, Shingo. There's no denying the mechanical superiority of a 4WD car. This just became a tough race for Ryousuke. Will he have an opportunity to regain the lead?"

Shingo then told Takeshi "I doubt it."

Takeshi then said to himself "RYOUSUKE! You carry the pride and hope of all of Gunma's racers. Don't you dare lose!

While racing, Kyle said "My complex about passes has vanished. I just don't buy the idea of charisma. Analyzing this superstitious illusion in the cold light of day, I've realized that it's actually nothing but experience and refined technique. Now that I know that, I'm not afraid of Ryousuke. Why? Because I'm superior to him that category." Kyle then pulled away a little bit from Ryousuke

In Haruna, Drew and May were still at the lake.

Drew said "Hey, May? What do you think happened in Akagi? Maybe it's over. Who do you think won?"

May said "I have no idea. I can't tell, because we're not at Akagi. I'm getting upset just talking to you about it.

Drew said "Sorry" & May said "Don't be sorry. I mean, talking to you is helping me get this anxiety out. I was so depressed today. After I heard Ryousuke would be battling one of the Lan-Evos, I thought he might lose because of how powerful it is. I hope Ryousuke can pull it off and make Gunma proud. He just has to win or the rest of Kanto will fall into the hands of the Lan-Evo squad."

Meanwhile, Ash was having the new engine installed in May's car. He was with Masashi at his shop.

Masashi said "Well then, let's get started. By tomorrow night, May's R34 will be better than it ever was.

Ash then said "You're right Masashi. With this engine, May will become untouchable. No one can stop her."

Back in Akagi, Ryousuke and Kyle were racing hard. Ryousuke seemed to keep up with Kyle.

He then said "It's a finely tuned car, Kyle. It has surprisingly fine cornering abilities and it can accelerate at any RPM. It turns easily and exits corners swiftly. Its acceleration is unbeatable. What a scary car! It's overwhelming to observe it up close."

After the two passed the next corner, Ryousuke then said "What incredible potential it has. I'm astonished seeing it. But I didn't just realize that now. I figured it all out yesterday." The two were now getting faster.

One spectator saw Ryousuke hit the guardrail but Hiroshi told him "That wasn't a mistake. He can't keep up with him unless he does that. Look at this section time."

When Hiroshi showed a spectator the time, he said "Incredible! At this rate, they'll break the Akagi course record."

Hiroshi then told everyone "Ryousuke isn't driving slowly. The Evo III is going really fast."

Another spectator then talked on a radio and said "This is corner #35. The Evo III is still ahead."

A guy then asked Keisuke "Will he be okay?"

Another person said "The Lan-Evo hasn't lost any speed at all. There isn't much more left until the goal. He might pull away."

Keisuke then said "Don't worry. My brother will be able to overcome this difficult situation. Yes, Kyle Sudou is fast. Most of us here probably didn't expect him to be this fast. I certainly didn't, but my brother did. Using the data collected at various checkpoints during last night's free run, he was able to calculate Sudou's abilities more precisely than I ever could. So I believe that my brother will win in the end."

While racing, Ryousuke said "The misfiring system and the 4WD are a killer combo. Full acceleration in low gears won't cut it. But I may get a chance at a high-speed corner. I knew it!"

Ryousuke then took his FC to another level.

Kyle then said "He isn't attacking from another angle. Why not? His passiveness is eerie. Has he given up? No, I know very well that he isn't like that. He will attack."

Ryousuke and Kyle then attacked the next corner and Ryousuke tried to pass Kyle but Kyle blocked him.

Kyle then said "I know I'm in the superior position, but I feel like he's hunting me down. Have I not yet overcome my complex about Ryousuke? A victory over him will erase that. I'm ready for you, Ryousuke. All my tires still have full traction."

Ryousuke then said "What a thrilling race this is! I only have one chance. I need to attack precisely into the flickering loophole."

A spectator standing next to Kenji and Max listened to his radio

The guy on the radio said "Ryousuke is right on him. But the Evo III is going fast. He isn't slowing his pace at all!"

Max then said "It doesn't look for Ryousuke Takahashi. The finish line is right after this corner."

Kenji then said "His defeat has become more certain now."

Then they all heard the tires squealing and Kenji said "The Evo III is still ahead."

Ryousuke then said "This right turn is my chance!"

Ryousuke surprised Kyle by going to the outside and pass him. Ryousuke then said "Kyle, your weakness lies in your unconquered fear of turning right. Frankly you stink at turning right?

Ryousuke then drifting outside of Kyle and took the lead.

Kyle got irritated at Ryousuke passing him.

Kenji then said "The FC took the outside!" & Max said "Amazing! The Evo III is completely blocked by the FC!"

Kyle then said "DAMN IT! I can't utilize the 4WD's traction or the misfiring system in this simulation!"

Kenji then said "INCREDIBLE! The FC is cornering while blocking the Evo III!"

Max then said "GO, RYOUSUKE TAKAHASHI! GO! GO! GO!"

Ryousuke then punched the accelerator and took the lead from Kyle.

Max then said "GO, RYOUSUKE!" & Kenji said "HE'S GOING!"

Ryousuke then pulled away from Kyle.

Kenji said "HE'S AHEAD!" & Max said "THEY SWITCHED!"

At the finish line, Kenta was waiting for Ryousuke and Kyle to pass. He said "THAT'S IT, RYOUSUKE! KEEP IT UP! KEEP IT GOING!"

After Ryousuke crossed the finish line, Kenta said "HE DID IT! A course record! A super win! Eat our dust! The Red Suns saved Gunma!"

People at the starting line were cheering when they heard Ryousuke had won.

Seiji said "I can't believe Kyle couldn't beat him."

Someone said to Keisuke "An amazing course record. I've never seen Ryousuke go that fast. Why was he faster in battles than usual?"

Keisuke then said "My brother usually leaves enough of a safety margin to avoid crashing during our time trials. When he's forced to raise the bar, a record like this is the natural result. That Evo III was a tough opponent. So he got a bit serious."

At the finish line, Kenta was talking to Ryousuke. He said "What a win!" & another guy said "That corner was amazing!" Kyle then walked over to Ryousuke. He said "I want to ask you something, Ryousuke. What's the difference between us? Why can't I beat you? I just don't get it. Please tell me."

Ryousuke then said "In my opinion, your technique is almost as good as mine."

Kyle then said "No need for consolation. Just tell me why!"

Ryousuke then said "I am not saying that it's not because of your technique. Your weakness is your right turn. Not all right turns, but at certain right turns, your weakness surfaces."

Kyle said "Right turns?"

Ryousuke then said "To the right of the center line is a dead zone occupied by opposing traffic. You can't attack a right-hand corner without worrying about a head-on collision. No one can give it 100%. But with experience and effort, you can come close to 100%. Do you understand, Kyle? That's the difference. In motorsports, you don't have to worry about opposing traffic. The Gymkhana circuit doesn't have two-way traffic. And your home course, Nikko Irohazaka, is one-way, so there is no opposing traffic. In your counterattack, you always stay outside at right-hand corners. I read that as meaning you're afraid of the inside. That's why you lost." Ryousuke then drove off.

Kyle said in his head "You beat me, Ryousuke. My belief that I had caught up with you was an illusion. You have street charisma."

The next day in Haruna, Max was working at Yuichi's gas station. He and Kenji were talking about the race to Yuichi.

Max said "IT WAS AMAZING! I realized again how great Ryousuke Takahashi really is."

Kenji said "Anyway, the Lan-Evo squad storm that threatened Gunma has blown itself out, and peace is restored once again."

Yuichi then said "Yeah, I should have gone to watch the race. By the way, were Drew and May with you?"

Max said "May and Drew didn't want to go. I heard Drew was not that interested in going to Akagi and May didn't want to see those Lan-Evos."

Kenji then said "I know May told me that those Lan-Evos made her sick to her stomach."

Max then said "She specifically told me he wouldn't go to Akagi. I wonder what changed her mind."

Three days later, May, Drew, Kenji, and Max were at a restaurant. May said "What? My R34? It must be a mistake, bro. I don't know anything about it."

Max then said "Akito says he saw it on Haruna last night."

Kenji said "It was a red, two-door Nissan Skyline GT-R Spec V with carbon fibre doors, hood, & spoiler."

May then said "That sounds like my car but someone could have something like my R34."

Max then asked May "Where is your car, anyway?"

May said "I don't really know. A few days ago, Ash took it somewhere."

Drew then said "What are you driving now?"

May said "I am using my S15 patrol call to get around town."

Max then said "Don't tell me that your legendary R34 is at a scrap yard now. I WILL CRY!"

May said "I doubt it. Ash told me he was putting a new engine in it."

Max then said "Seriously? What kind of engine?"

Drew then said "I doubt it will be another normal RB26DETT. May told me it's a highly tuned RB26DETT that Ash was given by an unknown person." & May said "I have no interest in that, really."

Max then said "Why is that?" & May said I think that, of all parts, the engine is the most important element of a car." & Max said "That's right, sis.

May then said "It's like the brain in a human body."

Kenji then said "Hey, May. People usually compare it to the human heart."

May said "Is that right? It's the heart, then. I just hate to have another engine in it but I won't advance if I keep the current engine. I know it would feel different but I would get used to it pretty quickly."

Max then said "I guess I can see that. You're attached to it."

Kenji then said "I can understand how you feel but we can't help wondering what kind of engine it will have."

On Mount Haruna, Ash was testing May's new engine. He was blazing through the course with tremendous speed. Then he pulled over to talk with Yuichi and Masashi."

Masashi said "How does it feel, Ash?"

Ash said "It's getting better, but since the engine is so good, the suspension can't catch up."

Yuichi then said "The engine is that good, huh?"

Ash then said "Yeah, I love it."

Yuichi said "It sounds very tempting. I want to ride with you next time."

Ash then told Yuichi "This car is very scary."

Yuichi said "That's not for you to say, Ash. I already know how scary your driving can be."

Ash then got out of the car and said "Let me give you a glimpse."

Masashi said "What?" Ash lifted up his pant leg and showed Yuichi and Masashi a big bruise on his leg.

Masashi then said "Hey, Ash!" & Yuichi said "How did that happen?"

Ash said "You know, I needed to use this as a wall to hold up my whole body. I used to think the side G-force in pass racing wasn't worthy of a bucket seat. The car already has a bucket racing seat but I think my bones will bruise if I don't put a newer one in now. I found a Sparco seat that weighs 15 pounds lighter than the current seat. It only cost me ¥2000 to buy it. That's it for today. This is one tough customer. But that makes it more exciting. I still have not decided how I'm going to set it up. I will take my time and enjoy it. I need to consider that inept May is going to be driving it, too."

Masashi said "Inept May?" & Yuichi said "May? Is he kidding?"

Meanwhile, Drew was driving May home in his GC8. May said "I am sure glad I've graduated high school." & Drew said "I am glad as well."

May then said "The work at the police station is fine but lately it's been quite boring because nothing really has happened. It's a great paying job and I hope to buy my own car along with some of the money from my huge malpractice suit settlement. I won over $5 million which is just under ¥600 million but I want to save it for later in life. However, I won that R34 in a contest so I didn't have to pay anything for it."

Drew then said "Don't be so impatient, May. I bought my car because I won the lottery back in December and was able to afford this car."

May then said "You won the lottery? That's great. How much did you win?"

Drew then said "Your jaw is going to drop when you here this. I won ¥50 million. The car cost me about ¥20 million. I love it because it's made here in Gunma prefecture and it's a great car. I also spent about ¥750,000 to have the racing harness put in on the passenger because I bought it used and it was in great shape. The car came with racing seats in the front and can fit 2 in the rear. However, only the driver seat had a racing harness installed at the Ohta factory"

May then said "That sounds cool. You put the money into good use." They arrived home about 10 minutes and went to bed.


	7. Act 07: The New R34

DATE: JULY 30, 1999

TIME: AROUND 9 PM

At May and Ash's home, Ash was washing some dished when May came over and said "DAMN IT'S HOT! Why don't you turn on the air conditioning, Ash?"

Ash said "It's hot because you are lazy so get your butt moving."

May said "Geez, you sound like a gym teacher."

May then heard a strange noise. She then went outside to find out where it was coming from and it was her R34. She starred at it and when Ash came out, May said to him "Is it fixed, Ash? Does it run?"

Ash said "Of course it runs. It has a new engine. You should set records in Kanto with this monster. It produces 510 HP and can probably reach a top speed of over 200 MPH. The new engine is the RB26DETT N1 which is used in the Japan Grand Touring Car championship. Heck you could even compete with those guys."

May then saw the car had new racing seats. They were Sparco racing seats which weighed about 25 pounds less than the seats she previously had.

Ash then said "I have something to tell you, May. I used some of your malpractice settlement money plus some of the money I won last December. However, the engine was a gift from Nismo. The engine is the RB26DETT N1. It's a special motorsport variant of the RB26DETT. It produces 510 HP. I also had the front struts and rear shocks replaced with newer, racing struts and shocks. I also bought new springs for better handling."

May then said "THANK YOU ASH! I LOVE YOU! Also, I'm going to buy new Yokohama Advan Sport V103 tires."

Ash then said "I think that's a good idea. The current tires are pretty worn out so buying new tires will make it work better. The Yokohama Advan Sport V103 is what originally came with your car. Replacing the original tires with tires that are the same is a great move because it will handle better. I will take it to the place I work and install the new tires. You can come with me tomorrow. Do you have to work, tomorrow?

May then said "Nope. I have the day off."

May decided to test the new seat and said to Ash "The new seat's okay but feels a little awkward."

Ash told May "It's a little lower than your old one. After a while, you will get used to it."

May then said "The steering is heavier." May then noticed Ash installed a new clutch. She then drove off to get a feel for the new engine.

Ash then said "When you put the clutch in, that's when you first notice the weird feeling."

May then went to Mount Haruna to test the new engine. She drifted into a corner but it felt weird to her. She said "It's so hard to control! What the heck?

The next day at the gas station, May and Ash were talking to Kenji and Max.

Kenji and Max said "Your R34 has been tuned up?"

Ash said "That's right. I tuned May's R34 and it has over 500 HP."

Kenji then asked May "Have you taken it on a test drive?

Max then said "How was it, sis?"

May said "It works all right."

Kenji and Max then spazzed out. Max said "OH, MAN!" & Kenji said "We know that!" & Max said "That's not what we meant!"

While listening to the guys talk about May's revised R34, Yuichi was drinking some coffee and said "They'll be surprised, because that new engine is so awesome!"

Max then said "What kind of engine is under the hood? What's it like?" & Kenji said "Is it fast?"

Ash then said "It's fast all right. It's the RB26DETT N1. It produces 510 HP. It was a gift from Nismo."

May then asked Ash "Can you get in the car? I would like to Kenji and Max alone."

Ash then said "Okay." & May then went on to say "You will be disappointed if I tell you this. It may be slower than the old one. It lacks power."

Yuichi then put his coffee down and couldn't believe what May heard.

Drew was walking down the street and saw a car that really intrigued him. He said "WOW! That's a Porsche 993 Turbo! I have never seen one before but I heard it's fast. I also like the fact it's silver."

Yuichi then said "YO, MAY! Why do you say that the new engine lacks power?"

Ash was shocked to hear what Yuichi told May. Ash then said "The new engine lack power? That's can't be right. I installed it right and the engine control unit should be working just fine."

May then said "It just feels slower."

Yuichi then said "It can't be slower. Ash told me it was a premium engine."

May then said "I know that. It's hard to control"

Yuichi said "But it's hard to control because it has so much power, right? I knew it's a good engine."

Max then said "Boss, do you know what kind of engine it is?"

Yuichi said "HUH?"

Kenji then said "You have driven it, Mr. Tachibana?"

Yuichi then said "No, I, uh, have not driven it. I don't know what's going on, actually." Then he said in his head "What's going on, Ash? The engine has less power? That' can't be right."

May then said "I have to get going. Ash is installing new tires on my R34." May and Ash then left to have the new tires installed.

Meanwhile, Drew was looking at the Porsche. He then said "WOW! It has a roll bar and Recaro bucket seats. This is so cool! It even has Willans racing harnesses like those in Max's NSX. Looking at the VIN, it was made in 1994. It also looks like the owner put some new Michelin Pilot Sport PS2 tires. It also has cool looking BBS wheels. Hey, it has a boost meter, too! But that means it might be producing near 500 horsepower from its 3.6 litre twin-turbo flat-6 engine. I love my GC8 but this car is too awesome! I would love to have a Porsche like this!"

Then some girl named Dawn saw Drew looking at the Porsche 911. Dawn said "What are you doing? That's my girlfriend's Porsche."

Drew then said "Well, you know, I was just admiring your friend's Porsche."

Dawn then said "Admiring it? Well Porsches are great cars. A lot of people get jealous when they see one. Now, tell me the truth! Were you messing with it because it doesn't have a Gunma plate?"

Drew then said "Are you kidding, or what?! I would never do something like that!"

Dawn the said "You don't need to yell at me! What's with you?"

Drew then said "For your information, I love cars! I drive a Subaru Impreza WRX STi, but this Porsche's awesome meter is off the charts! Don't insult me! Gunma people don't mess with other people's cars." Drew then walked away. While walking away Drew said in his head "What a rude girl!

Then Zoey said "Dawn! I found the hotel your aunt's working at. What's wrong?"

Dawn said "Nothing, Zoey. Gunma stinks!"

Zoey then said "What? You just got here. You'll be here for a while, so try to be more patient, okay?"

While driving Dawn, Zoey said "Your impatience worries me a little, you know? It's only temporary, but you will be dealing with customers. Don't make your aunt look bad."

Dawn said she would be fine and Zoey said "Don't get upset with rude customers."

Dawn said "Then promise me that you won't stop by Akagi or Haruna for a spin on your way home."

Zoey said "I won't. Not on a crowded Saturday night or Sunday."

Dawn then said "Don't hide it from me. You want to race that R34, right? You also want to race Ryousuke Takahashi's white FC someday."

Zoey then said "The R34? Well who knows? Maybe I will race her. Maybe not. As for Ryousuke Takahashi, I will face him soon enough. I'm waiting for the right time."

At the place where May and Ash live, Yuichi talked with Ash about May's new engine.

Yuichi said "About the new engine, May said it was slower than the old one."

Ash then said "Yeah."

Yuichi then said "Did you set it up that way?"

Ash then said "Why would I do such a laborious thing?"

Yuichi then said "I don't get it, then!

Ash said "But it makes sense. What May said is right. You really don't get it, Yuichi? It's so simple."

Yuichi said "What is?" & Ash said "Just think about it. I'm busy, so I'm hanging up."

Yuichi then said "Hey, wait! ASH?!" Ash then hung up. Yuichi said "What's with him?

Meanwhile, May was testing her improved R34 She noticed it was still about the same. "She said "It's only been a couple days but I still can't control it. DAMN IT!

Drew then ran through a shopping lane in the village. He said "I am going to be late for work!" He then noticed Dawn was buying stuff from a bakery.

He then said "It's that rude girl from yesterday."

Dawn was ordering some sweets from a bakery and said "I will have 6 sweets. Put 5 in a bag because I'm going to eat one now."

The cashier then said "Okay. That will be 660 yen. Be careful, it's hot."

Dawn then took a bite of her sweet bun and said "Delicious!"

Dawn then opened her wallet and noticed she was ten yen short. She then said "I am sorry, but can I give you a ¥10,000 bill?"

The cashier said "That's too big. I really don't have change for that."

Dawn said "Really? Oh, no."

Drew then placed a ten yen coin near Dawn, which surprised her. Drew said "Take it." He then walked to Yuichi's gas station.

Dawn then ran to Drew and said "Thank you! I will pay you back later."

Drew then said "That's okay. It's only ten yen."

Dawn then said "I want to! I wouldn't feel good otherwise. Where can I find you?"

Drew then said "I work at the gas station down the street."

Dawn then said "I started a temporary job at the hotel where I'm staying. My aunt works there. I'm running an errand for her. Sorry about yesterday. You're a nice guy."

Drew then said "Yeah. Do you drive?"

Dawn then said "I was actually happy, because people rarely compliment my girlfriend's somewhat old Porsche 993 Turbo. It's 5 years old. By the way, I race an AE86 with a supercharged engine."

Drew said "I heard you say it was your girlfriend's Porsche. I also like the fact you race an AE86. Since you told me it's turbocharged, that means you have the Levin model."

Dawn then said "I don't know anyone in Gunma so I was feeling bored and kind of lonely. Let's be friends. By the way, my name is Dawn Iwase."

Drew then said "Sure. My name is Drew Nakazato."

Dawn then said "I have to get going. See you soon, Drew."

Drew then felt his heart beat faster than normal He said "This sensation, could it be, THAT?"

That night in Akagi, Ryousuke was on his computer with Keisuke also in his room. Ryousuke said "Haruna's R34 is back in action?"

Keisuke then said "Kenta thinks he saw it drive by. He noticed the familiar red color and carbon fibre doors, hood, and spoiler. I wonder if he put in a new engine."

Ryousuke said "We should find out."

Ryousuke and Keisuke then went to Haruna to see if May was running. When they heard an engine noise, Keisuke said "Here it comes."

Ryousuke said "That engine sound." Then May was coming towards them.

Keisuke said "What happened, brother?"

Ryousuke told Keisuke "Yeah. She isn't used to it yet but that car's been revived as a scary monster."

May then came home where Ash was washing some stuff.

Ash said "It took you a long time. Anything happen?"

May said "Not really. I decided to drive the pass a few times. I used a lot of gas. Sorry.

Ash said "Don't worry. It's best you get used to your car because it's more powerful."

May then said "Ash. Cornering with the car is a little more difficult. I think it has made it tougher for me to drift. I'm so frustrated. I've tried a lot of things but nothing works."

While May was walking to her room, Ash said to himself "Good attitude. She's trying to compensate with her technique instead of changing the suspension setting. Go ahead and struggle, May. Trial and error is an important process." He then said walked outside and said "In time, this car will improve your technique without you even knowing it. This car will be a tool for you to move up the next level

The next day at the gas station, Dawn came over to pay Drew back for the money he gave her for the sweets.

Dawn said "OH, THERE YOU ARE!"

Drew said "HEY! DAWN!"

Dawn said "I am here to pay you back. Here" She gave Drew a ten yen coin. She then said "Now we are even."

Drew then said "Yeah."

Dawn said "You really save me yesterday!" & Drew said "Oh, yeah?

May and Max were watching Drew talk to Dawn.

Max said "Who's that talking to Drew, sis?"

Dawn said "See you at 7:30!"

Max then walked over to Drew and said "Who is that cutie, Drew?"

Drew then said "She's, uh, a friend."

Max then squeezed Drew and said "A friend?! You said we racers don't need girls! What happened to the Lonely Driver? Don't just laugh it off!" Max then banged on Drew's head.

That evening, Drew met Dawn at Mount Haruna. He pulled up in his NSX. Dawn then said "WOW! That's a brand new Subaru Impreza WRX STi!" She then walked over to Drew and said "Is this really your car?"

Drew said "It sure is."

Drew then drove to Lake Haruna with Dawn. At a bench, Drew was drinking a Sprite and Dawn was drinking a Pocari Sweat. Drew then said to Dawn "When did you graduate high school?"

Dawn said "I graduated a little over 3 years ago. I'm 19 years old. I currently attend Saitama University to get my business degree. I have one more semester that starts in September."

Drew then said "What have you been doing in Saitama before you came to Gunma?"

Dawn said "Like I said, I'm in college. I also am a racer. I race on Shomaru Pass. I drive a red 1985 Toyota Levin GT-APEX. It has a supercharged 4A-GZE engine in it. I also work as an accountant at a store that sells car stuff. My friend Zoey graduated from Saitama University back in December. She got an economics degree. She's a year old than I am. She works at an accountant's office where she is the main secretary. She turned 20 back in March."

Drew then said "Really? I like your style." Dawn then said "They say that Zoey's downhill racing is sharp. She's starting to use me as an excuse to come to Gunma. She may be racing at some pass right now."

In Akagi, Zoey met up with Keisuke and Kenta. Keisuke said "I am sorry. It's not our policy to race in Akagi."

Zoey then said "Is it because I drive a super fast Porsche?"

Keisuke then said "No, because it's too easy. Racers in Gunma know that the Red Suns don't race on their own turf. It's nothing personal. I will tell you one thing. Watch out for Haruna's R34. She is a downhill specialist. She has never lost a race."

Zoey then said "I have heard about that R34."

Keisuke then said "Against any type of car."

Zoey then said "Any type of car?

Keisuke then said "That's right."

Zoey then said "Then you're qualified to determine if I'm faster than she is."

Kenta then said "WHAT?" & Keisuke said "It's okay, Kenta. We don't race here."

Kenta then said to Zoey "I don't know who you are, but come back in ten years if you want to talk trash to Keisuke."

Keisuke and Kenta then got in their cars and drove off.

Zoey then got in her Porsche and said "Fine, then." She then followed Keisuke and Kenta.

Zoey then said to herself "I hate to do this, but you've left me no choice."

Keisuke then said "If you're that desperate, I will play with you a little!"

Keisuke flashed his high beams at Kenta. Kenta then said "That's more like it. Please teach that rude girl in the Porsche a lesson!"

Keisuke passed Kenta then Zoey passed him as well.

Kenta then said "That sound, it's a twin-turbo flat-6. That's no ordinary 993. That's got to be one of the high performance models."

Keisuke then said "She followed me out of the corner. That car's power isn't ordinary. That can't be an ordinary Porsche. It's a 993 model, but is it possible it's a 993 Turbo? That's one of the fastest production cars in the world!"

Zoey then followed Keisuke. Meanwhile Kenta said "I don't know how powerful it is, but those cars can produce over 450 HP. That much power will impede her control. That car is like a loose cannon, but she controls it so perfectly! I can't keep up! DAMN IT!"

Keisuke then said "I don't know as much as my brother, but this girl is very skilled. I shouldn't mess around. She could be better than May."

Zoey then said Get serious, or I will pass you!"

Up ahead, a 180SX spun and hit the guardrail. The driver of the car said "Man, this doesn't look good. Luckily, we weren't going too fast. I should have put a warning reflector up. I' hate for another car to crash into us."

Meanwhile, Keisuke and Zoey were fast approaching the area where the disabled car was. A guy on the road held a reflector warning. Keisuke was going so fast he thought he was going to run over the guy.


	8. Act 08: The 911's Challenge

When we last left off, Keisuke Takahashi was trying to block Zoey Nishidake. A guy was holding up a warning reflector to tell them there was a car immobilized up ahead. Keisuke slammed on the brakes to avoid running over the guy. The guy got out of the way just in time before Keisuke would run over him. Keisuke then said passed the disabled 180SX but then started to spin out. Zoey did likewise. She slid next to Keisuke's FD.

Keisuke then said "That was a surprise."

Zoey then said "Man, it was just getting interesting."

Zoey then turned her car facing the right direction. She said to Keisuke "We will try it again very soon." She then drove off.

Keisuke then said "Don't act so cool. There are all kinds of racers. I have one more thing to look forward to."

The next day, Zoey was driving Dawn in her silver Porsche around Haruna village. They were stopped at a traffic light. Zoey then said "They didn't need you on a Sunday afternoon? Maybe you aren't that useful."

Dawn then said "How rude! It was super busy in the morning. I've worked two weeks straight, so they gave me an afternoon off."

Zoey then said "That's okay, then."

Dawn then asked "Why did you come here, anyway?"

Zoey said "Well, I wanted to see how you were doing. Your mom worries about you."

Dawn then said "I am fine. I'm working very hard."

Zoey then said "I hope so. Uh, oh. I'm low on gas. I should fill up."

Dawn then said "My friend works at a gas station."

Dawn and Zoey then pulled up to Yuichi's gas station. Drew was finishing up a Mercedes when he Zoey's silver Porsche pull in.

Drew said "Welcome! Hey!"

Dawn then waived to Drew."

Dawn then said "Zoey, that's Drew Nakazato."

Drew then walked over to Zoey. He said "Welcome!"

Zoey said "Fill her up with 30 liters of high octane."

Drew then said "Right away!"

Drew then said "That Zoey girl Dawn was talking about is really good-looking!"

Max then looked at Drew filling up Zoey's Porsche. He said to himself "I have seen that Porsche 993 Turbo."

Zoey got out of the car and said "I hear you and Dawn are friends. Isn't she too strong-willed?"

Drew said "No, I don't think so."

Dawn then shouted "Hey, Zoey! Don't ask him stupid things like that!"

Zoey then said "She's a good girl, so be nice."

Drew said "Sure."

Zoey then said "This is a complete change of topic, but I hear that Gunma has a really fast R34."

Drew turned around to hear what Zoey had to say. Zoey then said "They say it's undefeated. I know Gunma is pretty big, but I thought you might know something about him."

Drew then said "Of course I do! She's my best friend!"

Zoey then said "Seriously? A girl drives an R34."

Drew then said "Yes."

Zoey then said "Your name is Drew Nakazato, right? I know we've only just met, but do you think you could arrange a meeting with her? I want to talk with her. I'm curious about her R34."

Drew said "Piece of cake! She's a bit slow, but she's a nice girl. How about tonight?"

Zoey said "You sure?"

Drew said "No problem! I was planning to go see her after work anyway."

Zoey then said "That'd be great."

Zoey then got in her Porsche and left. Drew thanked Zoey for coming. She then said to Dawn "I can't believe he's your friend's friend. I'm thankful that you guys became friends."

Dawn then said "I don't like this. You seem to only care about Drew's friend, and not about him."

Zoey then said "That's not true. He seems okay."

Dawn then said "Why are you meeting that girl with the R34?"

Zoey said "No reason. I just want to meet her. She must be skilled to have won all her races in competitive Gunma Prefecture."

Dawn then said "I hope that's it. You tend to lose your cool when it comes to street racing."

Meanwhile at Yuichi's gas station, Max was reading a magazine inside the store. He was hearing Drew talk to May on a pay phone.

Drew said "COME ON, MAY! I just want Dawn's girlfriend to like me. This is a good opportunity for me to score some points."

May said "Okay, I will be there. But I'm not interested in racing her at all. The new engine isn't that good."

Drew then said "Don't worry about that! I learned my a long time ago. Dawn's girlfriend seems very nice. You'll see when you meet her. She drives a silver, 1994 Porsche 911 Turbo."

That night at Lake Haruna, May was driving there to meet with Dawn, Drew, and Zoey. She pulled into the grass.

Drew said to himself "It's cool to see three awesome sports cars! You got May's R34, a Porsche 911 Turbo, and my GC8.

May then got out of her car and stared at Zoey. Zoey said to herself "She's so young."

At Yuichi's gas station, Max was talking to Yuichi. Max said to him "You know that Porsche 993 Turbo that came in this afternoon? I saw it once when I went to see the Red Suns race the Emperors."

Yuichi said "Yeah?"

Max then said "It had amazing uphill acceleration. Since that girl drives a car like that, Dawn might not be impressed with Drew."

Yuichi then said "There you go again, Max. Your way of thinking won't help your social life. Drew doesn't look like he worries about things like that. Clumsy but positive guys have an upper hand over guys who worry too much. You're still young.

At Lake Haruna, Zoey said to May "You just got a new engine?"

Drew said "Yeah, but it's a lot slower than her old one. Isn't that right, May?"

May said "That's right, Drew."

Drew then went on to say "That's why she won't be able to race for a while. Right?"

May then said "Yeah, that's right."

Zoey then said "Is is a normal RB26DETT?"

May then said "I don't know much about engines, but my friend Ash knows a lot about engines. It has okay power, but it's hard to control. It's a weird engine."

Zoey then said "Do you mind if I take a look?"

May said "Uh, no, I don't mind." May and Zoey then went to look at May's engine. Zoey popped open the hood. She took a look at it and saw something that got her attention.

She said to herself "It's not an RB26DETT, even though it is an RB26DETT. It's an RB26DETT N1."

Zoey then said "Is this a joke? Are you teasing me?" Zoey then closed the hood and said to May "I don't know where you got this engine, but don't insult me by saying it's slow."

Drew then said "Well, but, um… Why is she mad?"

May said "Who knows?"

Zoey then said "I thought we were fellow racers. Is my Porsche not good enough for you? You owe me an explanation."

Dawn then said "STOP IT, ZOEY! What are you talking about?"

Zoey then said "Stay out of this, Dawn. I've never met anyone who has an engine like this for street racing. That engine is for professional racing. I could never afford something like that no matter how much I wanted it. Picturing an engine like this in my Porsche makes my mouth water."

Dawn then said "So what?"

Zoey said "I don't care what kind of engine you have, but why lie about it? Why can't you say you're fast? Both of you disgust me with you deliberate lies."

Drew then said "We weren't really lying."

May said "Don't be ridiculous. It's not a lie. Let's go, Drew. I'm done talking to her."

Zoey then said "Running away? I'm not done with you."

May was fighting herself to open the door."

Drew then said in his head "OH, NO! May is losing it! This can't be good!"

Then Dawn slapped Zoey across the face which took Zoey by surprise. Dawn couldn't believe what she did.

Dawn then shouted "What's the matter with you, Zoey?!" Drew introduced his friend to you out of kindness. Apologize to them!"

Zoey then turned her head to Dawn.

Drew said "DAWN!"

Dawn then said loudly "If you don't want to, then go and never come back here! Don't be rude to my friend! I'm doing my best to live on my own here. Don't show up randomly and mess up my life!"

Zoey then said "Okay. I will go, then." Zoey then walked to her Porsche. She started it up and drove off. Dawn was about to cry.

May then said "Drew?"

Drew said "Yeah, May?"

May said "I am going, too."

Drew then said "Hey, wait! Don't leave me here alone!"

May said she was going and Drew said "HEY, WAIT! MAY! MAY! HEY, MAY!" May then drove off.

Drew then looked at Dawn.

At the top of Mount Haruna, Zoey was laying on the hood of her Porsche. She said to herself "I didn't expect her to react like that at all. I guess coming to Gunma think for her after all. But for me…"

Then Zoey heard a car coming. It was May and her R34. She pulled over to see Zoey.

Back at the lake, Dawn said "I am sorry. Zoey gets so intense when it comes to cars."

Drew then said "There's no need to apologize."

Dawn then said "When I saw your confused face, I got so angry with Zoey. My hand moved before I could stop."

She then went on to say "Please don't think that I have a short temper."

Drew then said "Don't worry! Actually, I was sort of glad. I know that you got upset because you wanted to defend us."

At the top of the mountain, Zoey said "Why did you stop? You know I wouldn't have chased after you. Now that you're here, I want to pick up where we left off."

May said "I don't care what you want, but there is one thing I need to know. I need to know for sure if this engine is that great. I can tell it's not a normal engine, but if you're right and this is a great engine, I want to know why it lacks power. Like I said earlier, I know absolutely nothing about engines."

Zoey then said "Are you serious about that? How can the owner not know about her car? Where did you get this treasure, then?"

May then said "My friend Ash said he got it as a gift from Nismo. I don't know, because he didn't tell me anything."

Zoey then said "Your friend? He must work in the racing industry, then.

May said "He is a mechanic but he doesn't work in the racing industry. He works on a lot of sports cars, though."

Zoey then said to herself "I see. Nismo must have known about her rise to success. That's probably why they gave her that engine. This isn't something you can simply buy with money."

Zoey then said to May "Never mind. I, too, am curious about this engine's full potential. Can you drive me around? I want to feel the engine for myself."

At a sushi bar, Masashi and Ash were talking about the new engine. Masashi said to Ash "What's your plan now?"

Ash said "Well, I imagined it would take about a month. She's had more than enough practice with it."

Masashi then said "The thing you ordered is here already. Isn't it about time?"

Ash said "I don't know. I have not gotten enough of a reaction from May yet. It's good she's trying to compensate with her technique, but she should have noticed by now. Well, I will just wait and see."

At Mount Haruna, May was driving Zoey in her R34. Zoey was trying to see how May was using her car's power.

Zoey then said to herself "It feels weird. The shifting stalls the acceleration. It has tons of power at the rev limit, but up-shifting causes a power loss. This engine is defective. No need to compare it to my 3.6 litre twin-turbo flat-6. It's dull. Why? This can't be its full potential."

May then drifted into a corner and continued the drift into the next corner.

Zoey then said "AGAIN! Why?"

Zoey then looked at the tachometer and said "Now I get it! I know why."

May then drove the car back to the top. She pulled into the parking lot.

Zoey said "I can tell you why you don't get much power. It's very simple and basic. That thing. It's your tachometer."

May said "My tachometer?"

Zoey said "The tachometer is no good. It doesn't go high enough. This is a high-rev engine that generates its power at a very high RPM. Professional turbo engines are all like this. The fact that you get a surge of power right before shifting is proof of that. You need to rev it higher. You have not been able to use it to its full capacity. I would say that this engine is capable of turning at least 10,000 RPM. A tachometer that only shows 8500 RPM or so won't cut it. The treasure is left unused."

Zoey then opened May's hood. She said "This isn't an original R34 engine. This engine is the RB26DETT N1 used in the JGTC. It has Garrett GT25 turbochargers which are high performance variant of the T25 turbochargers in your original RB26DETT. Also, the turbine wheels are made from steel rather than ceramic. The reason why they did that is because they found the ceramic turbine wheels to be unreliable at high RPM. I'd say it produces at least 500 horsepower. That's only 20 more horsepower than my Porsche 911."

Zoey closed the hood and said "I noticed something while sitting next to you. The interior panel looks too cheap for the engine you have. At least, you need water temperature and oil pressure gauges. Your friend, the person who installed this engine has terrific knowledge of auto mechanics. The tires and braked are well balanced and so is the body. So, why aren't the essential gauges there?"

May said "Well, I bought new tires right after the new engine was installed. My friend, Ash, installed new braked while installing the engine. The tires are the same Yokohama Advan Sport V103 tires that originally came with the car."

Zoey said "I see. There's one answer to why your engine is slow. The engine's true power has been sealed off on purpose."

May said "Sealed off?"

Zoey then said "It's a simple but reliable way to do it. A good racer won't over-rev, so without a new tachometer, he won't rev beyond the red zone."

Zoey then walked to her Porsche and said "I really want to defeat you. I have this fire burning inside me. No matter how well you can race, you're lacking an essential element as a racer. I absolutely can't afford to lose to you. We will settle this shortly." Zoey then left for Saitama.

May said "I am lacking an essential element?"

While driving, Zoey said "I am in shock. I got scared. The way she entered corners was beyond belief. She can go way beyond the limit that my body is used to. She's ignorant about cars, but her technique is unreal! It makes no sense! If I lose to her, everything that I am will shatter into pieces. My very existence depends on this!" Zoey then drove off


	9. Act 09: The Seal is Broken

DATE: AUGUST 4, 1999

TIME: AROUND 1:30 PM

Max had just finished filling up a customer's car. Meanwhile, Drew was daydreaming. Then Kenji honked his horn at him.

He said "HEY DREW! DREW!" Drew then said "Oh. Hello Kenji."

Kenji said "Were you daydreaming, Drew?"

Max then said "He's been like this for a while. I wonder if he has been hanging out with May too much."

Drew then muttered until he saw Dawn. When he saw Dawn, he said "Dawn, did you get the day off today?" Then Drew said Dawn's name

Dawn said "I am so sorry for bothering you at work." and Drew "That's okay. It's no big deal."

Then Dawn asked "What time do you get off work today? I'm free for the rest of the day, so I want to see you after you get off work. I will wait somewhere until you're done with work."

Then Drew said "Wait a bit. Two minutes. No, one minute will do it. Stay here."

Drew then ran into the store and told Yuichi he was leaving for personal reasons. He quickly changed and when he came back out, May wanted to know where Drew was going and Drew said "Sorry, May. I will leave the rest for you."

Then Drew pulled up a little and told Dawn to get in his GC8. Dawn said "Is it okay?" and Drew said "It's okay so hurry."

Yuichi then came out and said "I guess I will give him a break just this once."

Kenji then asked Max "Who is that girl? His new girlfriend?" and Max said "Something like that." and Kenji said "What? He was dumped recently, and he has a new girlfriend?"

While riding with Drew, Dawn asked if it was okay for Drew to leave work and Drew said "It's okay. It's no big deal."

But then Drew said in his head "Yuichi is going to yell at me tomorrow, but I don't care. I've been thinking about you all day. I wanted to see you so much. And you came to see me and I was so happy, I couldn't stay there so skipping work is no big deal."

The two went to Lake Haruna and sat near the water eating corn on the cob. While eating, Dawn said "I have always been with my girlfriend Zoey since I was little."

Drew said "Seems like you two get along well." and Dawn said "Even after she got involved with cars, I rode with her whenever she went driving. There was a time when I using most of my salary to maintain her Porsche."

Drew then said "Really?" & Dawn said "There was nothing I wanted to do. It was easy to follow car-crazed Zoey. But that's no fun. That's when I decided to get my driver's license. My sister Kyoko Iwase got me that Eight-Six the day after I got my license. She too is a car fanatic and drives an FD3S." & Drew said "Your sister drives a current generation RX-7? Nice."

At her home, May looked at her R34 and said "The power is sealed on purpose, but for what reason? A racing engine? I don't know what's going on!" May then closed the hood of her car and said "Fine. I'm lacking an essential element."

Meanwhile at Lake Haruna, Dawn and Drew were going to Drew's GC8.

Drew said to Dawn "It's dark already. Let's get something to eat, and I will take you back to the hotel."

Dawn then said "I don't want to go back." Drew was shocked to hear Dawn say she didn't want to go back to the inn and he wanted to know why.

Dawn said "Something happened at work today."

Drew said "What happened?"

Dawn said "I have this mean co-worker who blames me for her mistakes and lies to our supervisor about me. It's unbearable."

Drew said "All right! I will stay with you until you feel better! For as long as it takes!"

Drew then took Dawn out for a drive in his GC8.

Dawn was teaching some stuff to Max so he can improve and be as good as her sister.

Dawn said "There! Steer while braking lightly." & Drew said "Okay, Dawn."

Drew then drifted at a corner and kept his car about 3 centimeters from the guardrail.

Dawn the said "You're so good at this!

Drew then said "Yeah, it feels good!" Drew then drifted at the next corner and said "You're a better teacher than May.

Dawn said "Zoey taught me things while I sat next to him. They just stay in my head."

Drew said "You have a license, so you should be good at this."

Dawn said "I probably will. My Eight-Six can be tough to drive. It has so much power it can hard to control it at times. I have not raced a mountain pass myself."

Drew then said "You don't have to. That's just one of the many pleasures a car brings. If you like Shomaru Pass so much, you don't have to race at another pass.

Meanwhile, May was laying on her bed thinking about what Zoey said about what she was missing.

May then said "I guess I have to accept her challenge."

Meanwhile Dawn and Drew were sleeping in Drew's GC8.

Dawn said "Are you asleep, Drew?"

Drew said "No, I'm not."

Dawn said to Drew "I was thinking about quitting my job and go back to Saitama. But I will give it another try. Quitting is easy, but I'd just be back where I started." Then she went to sleep

The next day, May was watching TV in the living room the place she lived in with Ash. Drew then came in and said "Hey, May!" and May said "Drew."

Drew said "If anyone asks, I was hanging out with you from last night until this morning, okay?"

May said "What? You just got back this morning? Were you with Dawn?"

Drew said "Why are you blushing? Don't get the wrong idea! We just went to the pass is all! We slept in my car"

May then said "But isn't that improper? Dawn is a girl."

Drew said "She said she didn't want to back. It's a man's job to stay with his girl."

May then said "Is that so? I don't really know."

Drew then said "I was so happy yesterday. We talked about lots of things. It made us closer. It was like a dream! How about you, May? I'm sure you and Ash are doing well. How are things with you two?"

May said "Things are fine. Me and Ash are getting along well. We have been since I moved in with him."

Drew said "That's good to hear."

Later that Day, May was home when the phone rang. She said "Ash, are you home? The phone is ringing. I guess he went out."

When May picked up the phone, she said "Hello, May Chan speaking. HUH?"

It was Zoey calling her and she said "You are wondering how I got your phone number. Well, I remember you gave me a piece of paper with your phone number on it. I will be coming to Gunma to bring Dawn back home. I heard she took off from work yesterday and didn't come back until this morning. So irresponsible! I can't stand irresponsible people, even when it's one of my friends.

May then said in her head "UH, OH! DREW IS IN TROUBLE!"

Zoey then said "But that's my problem. Let's talk business. I want to race you. Leave tomorrow night open. Make sure your engine is fully operational by then, or it will be pointless. I trust you. I will be in touch."

May then hung up the phone and said "I saw it coming. She wanted to race me. I better talk with Max."

May then left and came to Yuichi's gas station where Max just finished closing up and was about to leave.

When May came, Max said "Sis, what's up?"

May said "Hello, brother. I have a favor to ask. I may be racing Zoey's Porsche 911 Turbo, so I want to make this engine usable by then. I need your help installing a tachometer."

Max said "A tachometer?"

May said "You know a lot about cars, bro. I have no clue, so I need help. Please show me how!"

Max said "Okay."

May said "Thank you, bro."

Max then looked at May's engine and said "I don't know the specifics, but I can tell that this engine isn't just another engine. You got nice fuel injectors and a wild twisted header. I think it's highly tuned based on the turbochargers. It's really tuned-up. It sure is hard to believe that this engine has less power than the old one."

May said "This Zoey girl said that I would get more power at a higher RPM. I want to believe what she said."

Max said "Unlocking a sealed high-rev zone. If that's true, it's exciting. It's not that hard to install a tachometer, but there's one thing I'm not so sure about. Are you sure you want to change the current setup without asking Ash first?"

May closed her hood and said "Well Ash wasn't home tonight. And he wouldn't say yes if I asked him face to face. So I've decided to do it myself. I want to be able to use the engine to its full potential by tomorrow night.

Max said "Okay. In that case, I will help you. I will buy a tachometer first thing in the morning. Come in the afternoon."

May then said "Thank you so much, bro! You're a huge help."

Max then said "It's the least I could do. You are my little sister and I have always looked out for you."

The next day, Max called a motor sports shop for a tachometer.

He then said "What? It's going to be a week? I need it today."

Max then came into the store and said to Yuichi "This is bad! No one has it in stock. I guess very few cars use 10,000 RPM tachometers. What am I going to tell May?"

Yuichi then said "I guess no one carries it."

Max then said "Boss, do you know anyone who has a racing tachometer?"

Yuichi then said "I may know somebody who could have one."

Yuichi then called Masashi and when Masashi picked up the phone, he said "Hello? Oh, Yuichi. Yes I have one."

Yuichi went "WHAT? Are you sure you have one, Masashi?"

Masashi said "Ash told me to get one for May's R34. A racing tachometer, water temperature, and oil pressure gauges."

Yuichi then said "Hold on a second. This is a surprise, Max! I've got goose bumps! This is what Ash meant by "sealing it." Hey, Masashi! Bring those gauges over here right now!"

May then ran to her home and Drew wanted to know why she was in a hurry.

He said "HEY, MAY! What's your hurry?"

Then May met up with Solidad. Solidad said "Hi, May."

May said "Sorry, but I'm busy right now."

Solidad then said "But, May!"

May went back home and got her R34. While driving she said to herself "Solidad."

While installing the parts, Kenji told May "Okay. Now you just have to screw it down."

Max said "That's it. Now it's done. Okay, that will do it. Don't you think it was easier than you thought, right?"

May said "Thanks to you guys. I wouldn't have known how to do it alone."

Max said "Installing the tachometer isn't the end of it. Just because it's a high-revving engine doesn't mean that it will rev infinitely. Without knowing its top RPM, you can't have a full-blast race. I'm sure Ash knows. If you don't know its limit, you may end up damaging this engine."

Then Zoey came to the gas station. Max looked at the car and found out it was Zoey's Porsche 911.

Zoey got out of her Porsche to talk with May. She said "It looks like you're ready. We will race like planned. I will let you pick the course for our race."

Kenji then said to Max "Haven't we seen that Porsche 911 Turbo before?"

Max said "Yeah. She's the girlfriend of Drew's girlfriend."

Kenji then said "What? That sounds very complicated."

Zoey then said "Okay, that's fine. I will see you there. See you later." Zoey then left in her Porsche.

Kenji and Max ran up to May. Max said "Where are you two racing, sis?" & Kenji said "We will come root for you."

At the hotel where Dawn was working at, Zoey slapped her across the face. Dawn said "ZOEY!"

Zoey then said "This is serious. I told you not to make your aunt look bad. You made your mom and sister worry. Get your stuff together tonight. I'm taking you home."

Dawn then said "That's my decision to make! I know it was wrong to stay out until morning without letting anyone know. But I did nothing I should be ashamed of, so I shouldn't have to go home!"

Zoey said "Why don't you explain that to your mom and sister instead of me? If you like it here, you can tell them so and come back. I can tell you've changed a little, and I have to admit that you have even matured a little. But they don't know that, so they worry. They will feel better if they hear it from you."

Dawn then said "Okay, I will go."

Meanwhile May went to the gas station to talk with Drew. Drew said "What's up with you?" & May said "I am racing tonight."

Drew said "WHAT? With who? Not with Dawn's girlfriend and that Porsche."

May said "Yeah, and I have a favor to ask. I'm a little scared, so can you come with me?"

Drew said "Of course."

May said "Thanks. I will pick you up later."

May then drove back home to talk with Ash. May then got out of the car.

Ash said "What is it?"

May said "I am racing this Porsche tonight. It has a new tachometer. Please tell me what the top RPM is. Please tell me.

Ash went to go inside and said "Make sure to rev up to 13,000 RPM. Don't lose."

May then said "Thank you, Ash."

May then picked up Drew and left to race Zoey. While driving, Drew said "May, why are we talking the highway?"

May said "She told me to pick any course I wanted."

Drew said "So, where did you pick?"

May said "Shomaru Pass."

Drew said "WHAT? That's her turf!"

May then sped off for Shomaru Pass.


	10. Act 10: R34 vs 911

AUGUST 6, 1999

TIME: AROUND 8:30 PM

Kenta, Ryousuke, and Keisuke were heading to Shomaru Pass. While driving, Keisuke said "I am sure Kenta is right about this. May is racing a Porsche 911 at Shomaru Pass."

Ryousuke said "When I last saw her this morning, she still wasn't used to the new R34. But a race is different. The veil of secrecy around the new engine is coming off."

At Yuichi's gas station. Kenji and Max were talking about May going to Shomaru Pass.

Kenji said "Man I just can't stay calm."

Max said "Me neither. But I have to work. Maybe you can go and check it out."

Yuichi then came. He said "Just go while I'm looking the other way."

Max then said "OKAY! Ready, Kenji?" & Kenji said "Yeah." Kenji and Max then left for Shomaru Pass.

Yuichi then said "If I was a little younger, I leave work too see it, too." Then a Mini came and Yuichi filled it up.

At a red light, Kenji said "DAMN IT! We're in a hurry." Max said "I hope May wins because she's my sister. I know can beat a Porsche 911. After all the races she has been in, she can beat any car at any place."

Meanwhile in Saitama, Zoey was waiting for May to come and Dawn was with Zoey as well. May then came in her R34 with Drew. Zoey then noticed May coming and May pulled behind Zoey. When he got out of May's car, Drew was shocked to see Dawn.

He said "What are you doing here, Dawn?" and Dawn said "A lot has happened since last night."

May then got out of her R34 and Zoey went to talk with her. Zoey said "You're the one who chose this course. Dawn, I want you two to wait here."

Dawn wanted to know why and Zoey told her "You can catch a bus or a train from here in the morning. If anything should happen to our cars, at least you won't be stuck here."

Drew then said "WHAT? MAY!"

Dawn then said "Let me guess. You two are racing at Shomaru Pass. It's too extreme for Drew's friend, so don't do it! Pick another place!"

Zoey told Dawn "Be quiet, Dawn. Stay out of this."

Zoey then said to May "Just so you know, the pass we're about to race on is very tricky and narrow. I will take the lead first. Since this is your first time, we should take some precautions. We'll alternate positions and keep going until one pulls away or passes the other. It's a sudden death race. If we're equally skilled, another element will be the factor."

Drew said "Another element?" & Zoey then said "Luck, stamina, compatibility with the car, that sort of thing. Let's go. When we get there, I will turn on my hazard lights and we will start the race."

Both May and Zoey then got in their cars and headed off to Shomaru Pass.

Drew then said "MAY! Did May know that Dawn would be here, too?

May and Zoey left the station and headed out for Shomaru Pass.

Drew then asked Dawn "Is Shomaru Pass really that dangerous?"

Dawn said "It's a really old road. It's not that long, but you go uphill first, then downhill from the middle."

Drew said "It's half uphill, then."

Dawn then said "That's not all. It's narrow and has poor visibility, which has resulted in many accidents. The guardrails are all rusted out. The road's uneven and slippery. Zoey has been lucky though not to have any accidents. She never even had one when she drove an SW20. She said it's a touch pass to race on.

Drew said "WHAT? This is May's first time! It's too risky!"

Before the race started, May said "I guess my necklace is going to come in handy. I will need all the luck in the world to win."

May then saw Zoey turn on her hazard lights. May then said "Her hazard lights! Here we go!"

Zoey then said "Ready? Don't crash your precious car yet.

May and Zoey then went full throttle to the first corner.

May then noticed the course felt a little different. She then said "It's uphill."

Zoey then said "WHAT?"

Zoey noticed May was right behind her. She then said "I told you so. It's a great engine. You can even stay with me on this hill. No need to take it easy, then!"

May was able to stay with Zoey for the corners ahead.

Zoey then said "I drive a Porsche because defeating an opponent with this somewhat heavy car is so satisfying. But this time, it's different. I absolutely can't lose to an R34! I've never felt this much pressure in a race before! I can see the aura that radiates from your R34!"

At the midpoint, Kenta, Ryousuke, and Keisuke were waiting for the cars.

Kenta said "Is this a good sport, Keisuke? & Keisuke said "The course is so narrow that there's no other place to watch it from.

Then Keisuke heard the cars coming towards them. Zoey's 911 then got a sudden power boost from its turbo.

Zoey felt a big boost from her turbo. She said "HERE WE GO! That sudden boost of power is to die for!"

When the cars passed them, Keisuke said "That was the 911 using an obsolete boom turbo."

Kenta said "Keisuke, I know both May's R34 and Zoey's 911 have 6 cylinders and are rear wheel drive, but May has a straight-6 engine and Zoey has a flat-6 engine. Not only that, May's R34 is front engine and Zoey's 911 is rear engine. Tell me what the difference between those engine designs is plus why they run so differently."

Keisuke then said "Well that's because… I should have my brother explain it to you. I understand it in my head, but I'm not good at explaining it."

Ryousuke said "The difference between a flat and straight 6 cylinder engine is a straight-6 engine has all 6 cylinders lined up while a flat-6 engine is horizontally placed lowering the center of gravity. May's engine is 2.6 litres while Zoey's engine is 3.6 litres. With the smaller engine, May can make more power at a higher RPM while Zoey has to deal with a lower RPM due to the engine's size and weight. With the car so heavy at the rear, it causes the car to understeer worse than a normal FR car. Because of the way her engine is set up, May uses the accelerator to control the RPM. Even after entering a corner and nearly top speed, she makes further adjustments to her attack. It's because of that she can attack more aggressively. Cars like her R34 excel at entering corners. In contrast, Zoey's 911 Turbo is rear engine, rear-wheel drive. It may be a step slower at corners, but its acceleration on straightaways covers that. Cars like that excel at coming out of corners.

Kenta then asked Ryousuke "Okay, so what about the 911's fishtailing, then?

Ryousuke said "The boom turbo tends to lag, so once the boost pressure goes down, it takes time to get it back up. That's why she keeps her foot on the gas when exiting corners and controls it using counter-steer only. She probably mastered that fishtailing technique to deal with the peculiarities of her car.

Keisuke then said "Got it, Kenta? Pass racing is very complex."

Kenta then said "Yes, I get it now.

Meanwhile, May was trying her to not let Zoey pull away from her. May was trying to use all 510 horsepower to stay with Zoey. May then realized there was something in the way and had to do something to avoid crashing. May then got in some mud from a mudslide. She nearly hit the guardrail. "She said "What's up with that?" May followed Zoey to the finish line

At the finish line, Kenji and Max were waiting for May and Zoey. Max said "Are you sure this is the place?"

Kenji said "Yeah, I guess so."

Max then heard something and said "What's that?

May and Zoey came to the finish line. Max said "MAY!

Both May and Zoey did 180 degree turns so they could start the second race. This time May would be leading and Zoey would be chasing her. Zoey then flashed her high beams to start the second race.

Max said "It's so unstable at full throttle. It turns sideways when it goes over a small bump."

When they saw the two girls drive off, Kenji said "WOW! That's a boom turbo."

Max said "That car almost looks out of control. She's barely staying on this narrow road.

Kenji then told Max "But when she's on, she's super fast. She's a different kind of opponent who breaks all the conventional rules."

While racing, Zoey said "This is round 2. From behind, I will be observing your undefeated Gunma-grown talent. "

May then said "This corner is hard to get through!"

Kenta, Ryousuke, and Keisuke all watched for the cars again.

Ryousuke then said "Right now, all the elements are against May. It's a tricky course where she has no experience, and the 911's irregular pace breaks her rhythm. But more than anything, she has been feeling uneasy with her new and unfamiliar R34. That's her biggest handicap.

May then said to herself "The bad condition of this road is make my car shake! The inner edge of the road is unusable! If the tires catch it, they'll slip! I can't use the outer edge coming out of corners, either. There's less usable area on this than there appears to be.

In Haruna, Ash was standing outside his house. He then said "May, the suspension settings change based on the engine power. After I installed the new engine, you kept saying you couldn't corner like before, which is logical. The car was set up that way.

Meanwhile at Shomaru Pass, May was doing her best trying to pull away from Zoey.

Ash then said "Only by revving up to a high RPM will you be able to corner at a higher speed. Notice that, May. Unseal the car's capabilities."

While racing, May then said "What's this? Did I imagine it?"

At the bus stop, Drew decided to get Dawn and himself a Diet Coca-Cola. Drew then looked at Dawn. Dawn then remembered when Zoey told Dawn about her 911.

Zoey was saying "The turbo is so fast that I'm kind of scared. This car is like nothing I have ever driven. It needs more detailed maintenance. I also have to watch the gauges while I'm racing. It costs money and takes effort, but I have no regrets. I've gained the power I was craving. See, Dawn, it's no good if you stop growing. If you keep running away from things you are bad at, you'll never be good at anything. You just have to keep searching and moving forward on your own two feet. This Porsche is a heck of a lot better than the SW20."

Dawn then said "Listen, Drew. I have made up my mind. I don't think I will be going back to Gunma. I guess this is probably good-bye for us. My sister, Kyoko found out about my night out the other day so she's upset with me. But that's not the reason. I was thinking in the car that if I try harder, I can become #1 in Saitama. I want to be as good as Zoey because she has been the fastest ever since she first raced at Shomaru Pass. She used to have an MR-2 before she got her 911. She was fast even with a 4-cylinder car like an MR-2. She had a turbo in it and impressed the leader of the Northwestern Saitama Alliance, Wataru Akiyama. That Porsche was a gift for Zoey when she turned 19 last year. I already told I'm 19 years old. I celebrated my birthday on April 8th. I have been racing for about a year and a half. I also told you that when I got my license, my sister Kylie bought me my Eight-Six. I have been racing with Zoey ever since I started. I now realize I have to choose my own path because I won't advance if I keep on following her. Even though I'm #2 in Saitama, I still feel like I need to work harder to move myself up. The only way I will do that is if I find my own technique."

Drew then said "I hear that. I used to live in Myogi. I traveled with my brother who drives an R32 but I never really admired him that much. He taught me a lot but then I knew I had to step out of his shadow and develop my own technique. I've only been racing since December when I won the lottery and bought my GC8F. I also feel like I have a ways to go."

Back at Shomaru Pass, May and Zoey were still fighting it out.

Keisuke then heard their engines and said "It's the second round!"

Ryousuke then said "She's getting used to it."

Keisuke and Kenta wanted to know what Ryousuke was saying.

Ryousuke then said "It's time for the new R34 to wake up."

Meanwhile May seem to be having a better feel for her car. She said "It did get easier to control. I was struggling with it just yesterday. Is it because of this power? I can now control it. All right. I just might be able to pull it off!"

Zoey was following May and noticed something. She then said in her head "I was planning to just observe her in this round, but that won't work. She's adapting to this tricky course at an amazing rate. No other first-timer could race this fast here! I'm impressed! Racers like you do exist! I can't lose on my home turf! This will be a touch race!"

May then remembered that Ash told her to rev the engine up to 13,000 RPM. May then pulled away with a little turbo boost. Zoey followed suit when her turbo gave her 911 an extra boost of speed.

Zoey then said to herself "Good pass racers are the coolest. You're not bad, May Chan. Your sharp technique could convince anyone. I can go for broke in my 993 Turbo!"

May and Zoey drifted through a couple of corners.

Zoey then said "I wanted excitement like this. I'm the luckiest girl alive!"

May and Zoey were fast approaching the finish point. They stopped at the point where they started the first race. Zoey would once again lead and May would chase her. Zoey then took off and May followed her."

Zoey said "At the end of the last round, I was going full blast. I will finish you in this round! You're a great opponent. You've set my spirit on fire!"

May and Zoey would now be racing harder than before.


	11. Act 11: Battle of the Souls

When we last left off, May and Zoey were in the 3rd round of their sudden death match. May felt her R34 came alive in the previous round. Zoey would lead for round 3.

Kenta, Ryousuke, and Keisuke were once again waiting for May and Zoey to pass by them.

Keisuke said "It's rare for a race to last this long. It's a battle of endurance."

Ryousuke said "It's physically and mentally demanding to maintain extreme intensity while dealing with the continuous lateral G-force. Especially when the course is this tricky.

Kenta said "Other racers would have given up by now.

Keisuke said "Stamina will be a major factor."

Ryousuke then said "All we know is that whoever loses focus first will lose.

At the station, Dawn and Drew were sitting on a bench.

Drew said in his head "If Dawn moves back to Saitama, I may never see her again. What should I do? I should at least tell her the truth. Not that it will change anything. I should tell her that I love her."

Drew then turned his head to Dawn. Dawn then said "What is it, Drew?"

Drew said "Um, I, uh…"

Meanwhile at Shomaru Pass, May and Zoey passed Kenta and the Takahashi brothers.

Keisuke noticed the sound of the engines. He yelled "It's the third round!"

Keisuke saw May was on Zoey's rear bumper. He said "Both racers are so intense. They're getting me fired up."

Ryousuke said "The Porsche looks different from the first round. She's good."

While racing, May said "What is this? Her style has changed. She's so fast that I can't hold back at all."

Zoey then said "I was being cautious at first. The theory for passes says not to go 100% before determining the road conditions. But this round is a different story!

May then said "I don't want to lose now. I will chase her to the end! My R34 is finally listening to me. I have never wanted to win a race this badly. Is it because she drives a Porsche? I just want to win with my new R34!

May then went a little wide at the next corner but kept her R34 from crashing. She then said "That was close. I need to keep my focus, or I will lose more than just this race."

May then noticed the rear of her car felt funny. She said to herself "I wonder if I'm getting tired. I've started to wobble a little. Could it be the tires? Not now! The rear traction is slipping. The rear tires are losing their grip. This isn't good. I can't adjust the tires. I have come this far but maybe this is it. I may lose!

May then noticed something with Zoey's 911. She said "I know I'm losing speed, so why isn't she pulling away from me? Could it be…? It's the only explanation! She too is also having the same problem. Her tires are losing their grip, as well!

The two then came to the finish line where they both made 180 turns to start the fourth round.

Kenji and Max were right near them.

Kenji said "This is the fourth round."

Max said "It has become a crazy endurance race."

While battling, Zoey said "Your rear tires must be slipping, too. The power increase puts more stress on the tires. Our powerful cars have been running at the same pace all this time. It's only logical that we'd have the same problem."

Zoey noticed how well May tackled the corners. Zoey then said "She's good! It's obvious from behind. The worse the conditions get, the better she seems to get. But she's only human. She isn't invincible! This is a test of endurance!

May then was doing her best to stay ahead of Zoey. Then the two were heading to the area where Kenta, Ryousuke, and Keisuke were watching the race from. Both May and Zoey were now pushing their cars to the limit and also pushing each other to the limit.

May then said "Actually, these slippery tires make it easier for me to see my car's ultimate capabilities. It feels natural. It's running the way I want it to. I'm all fired up! This is my new R34!

May and Zoey were battling fiercely to the start point for race 5.

They then reached the finish line and Zoey would lead for round 5. Zoey took off and May would be in hot pursuit of her. May was able to catch up with Zoey and stay with her.

May then said "Basically, I step on the accelerator to swing. It's the same as before, but I can clearly see a major difference when drifting at full speed. Ash, I know how to control this car now!"

Zoey was doing everything she could to keep May behind her. Zoey then said "What round are we in now? I've started to space out a little. I'm getting tired, but I'm sure she is, too. At this stage of the race, it's mentally more exhausting to follow that it is to lead. A little difference in speed won't be enough to take the lead. You can only lose by falling behind. So, you can't lose when you're leading. The next corner is that mudslide. She won't have enough space to sneak by. I should be safe. I will keep this up for as long as it takes until you lose focus and make an error.

May and Zoey were approaching the next corner quickly. May and Zoey then drifted through the next corner and Zoey was surprised May was able to use the inside.

Zoey then said "WHAT? There's less mud on the road!"

May then passed Zoey. Zoey then said "Don't be reckless! It's impossible to pass me here!"

May's car hopped a little when she hit a bump and take the lead from Zoey.

Zoey then said "SHE'S CRAZY!"

May said "I won."

Zoey then said "DAMN IT! I didn't notice that the mud was pushed aside which created enough space for her to get by me. Regardless, she was able to gauge that narrow space accurately. She's way out of my league."

Kenji and Max were waiting for the cars to come to them.

Max said "They've slowed down. The race is over."

Kenji said "Will it be the R34 or the 911 Turbo?"

They then caught a glimpse of a car and saw May was ahead.

Max said "IT'S THE R34! MAY WON!"

Kenji and Max then said "SHE DID IT!"

Max said "She pulled it off! & Kenji said "ALL RIGHT!"

At the station, Drew and Dawn were just sitting when they heard the sound of engines."

Dawn said "They're finally back!"

Dawn then ran over to Zoey. She said "Zoey!"

Drew said "May."

Zoey said "Thanks for waiting. I got back safely, but I'm exhausted. Get in, Dawn, We're leaving."

Drew then said "Dawn!"

Before getting in Zoey's Porsche, Dawn said to Drew "Well, goodbye, Drew."

Dawn then got in Zoey's Porsche and Zoey drove off.

Drew then said in his head "I couldn't say goodbye because I didn't want it to be goodbye."

May then went home with Drew.

On the highway Drew said "May?" & May said "What's up?"

Drew said "How did the race go?"

May said "It went well. I managed to win."

Drew then said "I see. You're amazing, really. It was a complete loss for me. Even though you brought me there so I could be with Dawn, I just couldn't tell her how I felt. I've been thinking about her constantly since yesterday. Falling in love with her made me realize something. Loving someone is really a painful thing. Loving someone is serious business. When it doesn't work out, your chest aches so much. Laugh at me if you want."

May said "Why would I laugh? I have always liked Ash. I do like him very much but I don't think I'm ready for love yet."

An hour later, May arrived home. She got out of her car and starred at it. Ash then came outside."

Ash said "You're back late. Where have you been?

May said "I raced at Shomaru Pass in Saitama. Listen, I am really tired so I'm going to bed. I never knew my car was that good. Hey, Ash? Maybe you can teach me about engines and stuff when you have time."

Ash then said "What happened all of a sudden?"

May then said "I realized which essential element I was lacking."

Ash then said "Really? By the way, did you win at Shomaru Pass?"

May said "Yes I did. It took 5 rounds but I was to use a disadvantage to my advantage."

May then went inside to go to bed.

Ash then said "I am very impressed with her. Shomaru Pass is the toughest course in Kanto. Not only that, she beat a 5 year old Porsche 911 Turbo. May is starting to realize the racer inside her is like."

The next day at Yuichi's gas station, Kenji and Max noticed Drew was not his normal self.

Max said "May, Drew is acting weird."

May said "You will find out eventually anyway, so I will tell you."

A minute later, Max said "I see. That's really unfortunate. I thought they would make it."

Kenji then said "I guess it didn't work out for him after all."

Then Dawn walked over to see Drew. She said "Drew?"

Drew said "WHAT? DAWN!"

May, Kenji, and Max were surprised to see Dawn. Dawn had her hair straightened out.

Drew then said to Dawn "Didn't you go back to Saitama?"

Dawn then said "It was all so sudden. I came back to get my stuff."

Drew then said "Oh, yeah?"

Dawn said "However, that's not all I left here. We left in a hurry, so I couldn't say goodbye to you properly."

Drew then said "Dawn? Are you free now? Just an hour?"

Dawn said "I have some free time."

Drew then took Dawn for a ride in his GC8.

Yuichi said "He had to leave early for personal reasons."

Max said "Again?"

Yuichi said "Bittersweet youth. She's the most important thing to him right now."

Max then said "I heard that Ryousuke Takahashi is looking at you joining his team, sis."

May said "What? I would never leave Haruna to compete with the Red Suns."

Max then "It's not like that. He wants you to join his team to conquer all of Kanto."

May then said in her head "Ryousuke Takahashi really thinks I'm a worthy racer."

Meanwhile Drew was driving Dawn. Dawn said "The trees here in Haruna are beautiful. Even though it's still August, I can feel autumn coming soon. I will never forget the time here in Haruna. I will think of it every time the leaves change colors. I will also never forget the people I met in Gunma. Especially this outspoken but compassionate boy who encouraged me to live. He's 2 years younger than me and is like the little brother I never had. I won't forget him."

Later that day, May decided to drive her R34 around town. Drew took Dawn to Shibusawa Station. Drew waved goodbye to Dawn who was heading back to Saitama.

Drew then got back in his car. He said "Goodbye, Dawn. I couldn't tell you this but I loved you."

That evening, May was going to Mount Akagi. She said "If I want to advance, I need to go to other places in Kanto. Staying in Haruna or Gunma won't do me any good."


End file.
